Real estate carbon data collection made easy: a chat with our director

Gathering carbon data in real estate can be complex and time-consuming. Etainabl makes this process effortless and spot-on for real estate professionals who want to manage and address carbon emissions in their assets.

Four years on since Etainabl was founded, we asked our director Ben Perrett about the journey so far and what’s next.

What led to the development of Etainabl and how has the journey been so far? 

Etainabl was born out of my frustration with the outdated and inefficient systems used to manage utility data within the built environment. These systems weren’t only unappealing but also lacked core functionality. They relied heavily on manual data input by human teams, leading to frequent errors. Recognising the underserved real estate market in terms of a product that genuinely met the needs of stakeholders, while leveraging modern technology to automate processes, we developed our first minimally viable product. 

Within a few months, we had secured our first customer. Over the past three years, we have grown organically, developing our product in partnership with real estate owners and operators. Today, we support around 3,000 assets, helping them with their data needs and supporting them on their journey towards net zero.

How does Etainabl ensure the reliability and accuracy of the data collected, particularly concerning utility and tenant data?

Data that is confirmed into our system goes through a series of validations to detect unusual consumption patterns and check for continuity or calculation errors. This ensures data accuracy and integrity. We can also provide automated alerting for any discrepancies or unusual data, significantly reducing the potential for errors caused by manual data entry. 

Our ability to take consumption from multiple sources means that we can verify and prioritise more accurate sources of data, offering much more accurate environmental reporting.

Etainabl recently launched Gridfetch. How does this enhance the data collection process?

Gridfetch enhances data collection by truly automating utility data. This data is sourced via API directly from grid operators and is available for all primary gas and electricity meters across the UK at varying granularity. 

This allows our users to bypass traditional, time-consuming and less reliable collection methods, such as manual requests for data. They can get instant access to data, including a comprehensive 12-month historical record. Once the connection is set up, it’s a real set and forget method.

How does Etainabl tailor its approach to meet the specific needs of managing agents, real estate funds and consultancies?

Each player has slightly different requirements when it comes to managing data and the purposes behind it.

Managing agents often oversee multiple properties and are responsible for ensuring operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. Etainabl provides a centralised platform that automates the collection and management of utility data across all managed properties. This simplifies reporting, reduces errors associated with manual data entry, and enhances the ability to monitor and improve energy performance across portfolios. Managing agents benefit from tools that enable proactive management of energy consumption and costs, supporting more sustainable property management practices.

For real estate funds, the focus is on maximising asset value and investment returns while increasingly ensuring sustainability targets are met. Etainabl offers robust data aggregation and analysis tools that allow funds to track and manage the carbon footprint of their entire portfolio. By providing detailed insights into the energy performance of assets, Etainabl helps funds identify opportunities for energy savings and compliance with global ESG standards, thereby improving the fund's appeal to potential investors.

Consultancies require detailed, accurate, and actionable data to advise clients on sustainability strategies effectively. We support them with advanced analytics that assess and benchmark energy usage and carbon emissions. Etainabl's customisable reporting capabilities help consultancies generate tailored insights and recommendations that align with specific client goals, such as reducing carbon footprints, enhancing energy efficiency, or preparing for ESG reporting.

Looking ahead, how does Etainabl envision the future? What role can it play in driving continued progress towards real estate companies meeting their ESG goals?

The future of carbon data collection is looking increasingly AI-driven. This will mean a world where data is far more automated, precise, and integrated than it is today. The real estate sector faces significant challenges in reducing carbon emissions, meeting ever changing sustainability requirements and reporting to increasingly stringent standards. Having access to reliable, real-time data is increasingly critical to overcoming this challenge. This is essential to making well-informed decisions.

Our role is to streamline this complex process of data collection, validation, and reporting, and make it as effortless and error-free as possible. Looking ahead, we’re committed to continuously enhancing our technology. By improving data interoperability, accessibility and reliability, we aim to be at the forefront of driving the real estate industry towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.

Etainabl offers a single platform for real estate professionals to easily collect carbon data, report on performance and work towards net-zero. If you would like to learn more and get a demo, email our team at contact@etainabl.com.