RSSOver nine months after Government launched CRC Scheme growing number of organisations turn to software solution
1 February 2011, source Landmark Information Group
With the 1st April opening date looming for the submission of footprint and annual reports to the Environment Agency as part of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC), Landmark Information Group is urging companies to ensure they are on target to meet the stringent deadlines. Many companies have already recognised the extensive time and resource needed to collate the vast amounts of data the CRC requires and have turned to products such as Landmark's Carbon Counter to assist.
However, those that don't have adequate processes in place (such as reliance on spreadsheets) risk missing the deadline for submitting the first footprint and annual reports thereby potentially incurring substantial financial penalties.
Recognising that meeting the government's targets could be time consuming, complicated and costly for participants in the CRC, in February 2010, Landmark launched Carbon Counter, its innovative online data management system designed to store all relevant data and simplify the reporting process required by the scheme.
One year on, the company is seeing an influx of organisations across both public and private sectors incorporating the solution to help ensure that they are fully compliant with CRC requirements in order to meet submission deadlines.
DMGT's Dr Rick Stunt, Group Paper Director, who leads the company's energy management programme, comments: "When it comes to CRC, data collection really is the crux of the work, and it was, frankly, a daunting task. Using Carbon Counter has meant that we have an accurate, secure and accessible format for recording that process.
We are now populating it with the data to ensure that it is all safely recorded and can form the basis of our analysis for future years. In the long-term we think it could lead to big time savings for us, and it is certainly a secure and robust audit system.
"Another advantage to Landmark's Carbon Counter is that it directly forms our Environment Agency evidence pack. It makes sure we have everything we need so that when it comes to auditing it should be a straightforward process to prove that we have the right information recorded."
Since its launch a year ago, over 100 organisations have chosen to use Carbon Counter, recognising it as a quick and cost efficient way to ensure their company meets requirements.
Almost half of these organisations come from the public sector, including district councils, county councils and NHS trusts who are often responsible for administering electricity, gas, oil and biomass across multiple sites, which means that a clear evidence pack and audit trail is vital, something for which Carbon Counter was specifically designed.
However, a growing number of private sector organisations are recognising the benefits of using the system, with companies such as Highland Spring Group and Vector Aerospace International already signed up.
David Mole, Managing Director of Environmental Due Diligence, Landmark Information Group, comments: "As data management experts, we designed Carbon Counter to be as user friendly as possible, enabling organisations to store all of the information they need in one single place by allowing them to quickly and easily upload and collate all relevant information. Carbon Counter is the only custom built tool designed for the purpose of meeting CRC requirements.
It simplifies and streamlines the recording and reporting process without the expense of a company having to build a bespoke software system. Furthermore the reports that the software produces are in the correct sequence and format so that the information can be used in the collation of the Evidence Pack that must be submitted at the end of each year.
One year on from the launch of Carbon Counter, we have received excellent feedback across the board and are looking forward to announcing further enhancements to the existing product in coming months."
To find out more about Landmark's Carbon Counter service, visit www.carboncounter.co.uk
For further information please email Landmark Information Group
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