Yesterday, Energy Points launched what is, reportedly, “the world’s first universal metric for measuring sustainability.” While there are different measurements and labels out there for different sustainability topics, Energy Points claims that it is the first to provide a comprehensive measurement (and, as far as I know, it is).
How Energy Points Works
Here’s more from Energy Points on where the inspiration for the metric system came from, and what types of information it includes:
“According to the 2011 Sustainability & Innovation Global Executive Study and Research Project by MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group, 68 percent of companies said their focus on sustainability increased in the past year, while 66 percent of respondents stated that it was necessary to be competitive1. Despite this belief, there is no universal standard for measuring sustainability in an actionable way. While some companies measure it in terms of overall cost reduction, others measure Greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Taken separately, these are laudable goals, but they do not account for the variables that can impact sustainability, including different fuel sources, geographic locations, electricity generation and more. To make impactful and measurable decisions, Energy Points provides executives with a universal metric that generates a comprehensive and uniform view of how different sustainability initiatives impact an organization.
“Energy Points provides a true measure of environmental sustainability by converting all domains (including electricity, water, transportation, etc…) into a single common unit of measurement. This enables businesses, utilities and energy service companies (ESCOs) to make comparative, intuitive and fact-based decisions across all business locations, generating a greater financial and environmental return. Businesses can also measure their exposure to the changing energy market, estimate its environmental footprint and compare sustainability performance against competitors.”
Increasing Clarity
Even for someone who cares about the environment, or is obsessed with it, figuring out environmental measurements and labels can be a challenge. Energy Points tries its hand at providing a simplified front end for users that presents the net effect of all sorts of environmental data as a simple metric, Energy Per Gallon (EPG). “We all understand what a gallon of gasoline does in our vehicles and equipment,” Energy Points comments. I’m sure everyone doesn’t have a sense for what one gallon of gasoline equates to, but it’s probably as good a measurement as you can come up with to try to reach the broadest possible audience these days.
Of course, the behind-the-scenes work that goes into presenting that simple figure is not so simple. It is based on “years of development work and validation by leading faculty and researchers at Boston University and MIT,” the company informs us.
“The EnergyPoints platform combines a unique analytics algorithm with GIS data that normalizes all sustainability information to provide the true value of the natural resources being consumed. These measurements are computed across an entire organization and are based on the local mix of energy resources and resource scarcity (such as water). The platform provides further measurement across regions, states, cities and even specific facilities to get a true account on the impact of an organization’s sustainability initiatives.”
1st Round of Financing Secured
The company also announced yesterday that it had secured an initial round of financing, totaling $3 million and led by Plan B Ventures.
“We believe that Energy Points will change the way sustainability decisions are made – providing businesses with the tools to make decisions based on their true organizational impact,” said Barbara Goldman, partner at Plan B Ventures. “We look forward to supporting the company’s growth and the establishment of the Energy Point as the defacto sustainability standard.”
As part of the financing deal, Goldman is joining Energy Points’ board of directors.
Looks like an interesting metric system for measuring corporate or project sustainability more comprehensively. Something I’ll be keeping an eye on.
Source: Energy Points
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