Envirally, a software product by Ancaster, Ont.-based 360 Energy Inc., is aimed at giving businesses more control over energy use to save costs and comply with increasing regulations on sustainability reporting.

The platform tracks energy consumption and carbon emissions in real-time.

Using artificial intelligence (AI), Envirally scans the company’s energy bills, then generates automated reports for sustainability metrics such as Scopes 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. The data can be tracked over time or against industry benchmarks.

Envirally’s purpose is to “make this energy data real understandable so they start understanding the organization can play a role in not only making it more controllable, but actively be involved in managing energy on their own and not being reliant on supply chain or government to fix the issue,” David Arkell, CEO of 360 Energy, said in an interview.

Developed over three years in collaboration with Mohawk College's mHealth & eHealth Development and Innovation Centre, Arkell said Envirally can help smaller businesses that have struggled with sustainability reporting because of insufficient resources.

360 Energy’s primary service is guiding corporate clients on energy and carbon management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company’s other software products are 360 Carbon Excellence and 360 Greenhouse Optimizer.

Opening windows into sustainability numbers

Canadian companies large and small are facing more pressure to report on sustainability metrics such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and waste. Supply chain emissions reporting is becoming more of a priority for some companies, Arkell said, requiring more accountability and data tracking.

Arkell said such a task is often difficult because it needs trained staff (often numbering one or two people) who understand the complex data in a utility bill. Complicating the matter is that utility companies present their data in a variety of ways.

The employees then have to manually input the data, taking up time and resources. As a result, sustainability reporting tends to be something only larger companies with the budget can do, he explained, despite most businesses in Canada being small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Envirally is designed to remedy this problem. An AI-powered tool will read the data in the bill and check if there are any inconsistencies or errors. If any are flagged, Envirally will notify 360 Energy’s team of the findings to investigate the problem.

The client can then resolve issues such as one facility paying more for energy than another of a similar size.

The result is reduced “time, effort and expense for customers to actually get this information,” Arkell said, meaning SMEs that do not have staff or money for sustainability reporting can have this task covered.

To verify the efficacy of the software, 360 Energy has an agreement with McMaster University to randomly review Envirally to prove its performance.

360 Energy envisions Envirally for the manufacturing, greenhouse and real estate sectors. Elaborating on the real estate application, Arkell noted the industry has codes for individual buildings and local areas that mandate climate and energy reporting, but some companies do not have access to the data they require for compliance.

Reducing costs and carbon

By simplifying and automating the reporting process, companies can save money, Arkell said. He believes Envirally can help exceed the company’s record to date of cutting energy bills by up to 25 per cent because of the technological leap.

Arkell is confident there is a six-month payback period for clients instituting Envirally.

“Remembering now that this is more automated, so we’re gonna even probably find faster savings.”

Twenty-two sites have already been signed up to use Envirally in its first month. 360 Energy is hopeful 400 sites can be linked to the software in a year, Mat Clark, the company’s business development manager, said in an interview.

Companies using Envirally are charged an annual fee per site, plus a one-time setup charge. Envirally on a single site costs the equivalent of $209 per month, while a client with two to 10 sites will be charged the equivalent of $189 per month.

360 Energy projects Envirally to generate over $68 million in project revenue over five years.

The company has received requests to use Envirally from potential clients in North and South America and Europe, Arkell said. With expectations for sustainability reporting regulations to increase globally, Arkell sees services like Envirally seeing higher demand.

Arkell’s ambition is to see Envirally forecast energy demand and markets to help a company manage carbon emissions and energy.

“There’s more and more need, or requirements. And I think regulations will drive this even further.”