As all qualifying organisations will appear in a leaguetable according to how effectively they have reducedtheir emission levels, organisations' reputations will beimpacted as well as their bottom lines.THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFTWARESYSTEMS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCEWith so much at stake for failure to comply with theCRC, it is vital that qualifying organisations have theright IT infrastructure in place to help them tomeasure, monitor and reduce carbon emissions.Without supporting IT systems, organisations areunable to effectively, efficiently and accurately collateand report on the key information required by the CRC.There are several IT systems in the market already,with new solutions being developed and launched allthe time. These software systems can be split into thefollowing two categories:SYSTEMS TO MEASURE AND REPORTON ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CO2EMISSIONSThere are now dedicated carbon measurementsystems on the market, from carbon accountingapplications to other, broader tools for themeasurement and reporting of electricity, gas andstatic fuel consumption. The fuels being measuredneed to incorporate (but are not limited to) fuel oil for heating, diesel used in plant or vehicles (that arenot registered and taxed for road use) and LPG orsimilar for heating or generation of power. The ITsystems need to be able to collect, aggregate andhandle all energy consumption data from which thecarbon conversions will be made and then report onthe findings. The following basic functionality isrequired:. A core CRC data management system, providing a central data store and browser/web-based access. This must be able to automatically collatemeter data and support manual data input, and/orinput from spreadsheets. To cover readings of allmeters excluding those in relation to transport andonward supply;. Calculation of greenhouse gas emissions data ofrelevance to the CRC (using the energy consumptiondata);. The ability to build a profile of, and report on, existingoverall energy consumption for benchmarkingpurposes;. Calculation of "total footprint emissions". This isonly different to the CRC relevant emissions if thereare members within the organisation that are exemptfrom the CRC;Left: Managing director,COA Solutions, MarkThompson084INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. The ability to view and report on the data at agranular level;. The management of carbon allowances and carbonemissions trading. This will cover the purchase, saleand handling of allowances (at a fixed price of £12each). For each tonne of CO2 emitted during theyear, the organisation will have to surrender oneallowance. At the start of each compliance year, thegovernment will run a month-long sale, sellingallowances to CRC participants. It is vital that all thisallowance activity is effectively recorded, managedand reported upon.. Integration into the organisation's existing accounting/ enterprise resource planning (ERP) system so thatthe financial implications of the CRC are reflected inthe organisation's central finance system;. The ability for all records of energy consumed andoutput of carbon emissions to be held securely foryears after the monitoring year. For example, recordsfor 2010-2011 must be held until the end of theCRC phase to which the records relate, and then fora further seven years following the end of the phasemeaning some will need to be stored for more than10 years. Although records can be paper-based, it ispreferable they are incorporated into the IT system/sto ensure ease of access and document security.SOFTWARE SYSTEMS TO CUTCOMPANY-WIDE POWERCONSUMPTION AND CO2 EMISSIONSMeasuring and reporting on energy consumption andcarbon emissions is the first step to compliance. Once

CASE STUDY - THE ROYAL PARKS The Royal Parks (TRP), an executive governmentagency responsible for administering and maintainingLondon's Royal Parks, is implementing a financialmanagement system (FMS) with integrated electronicdocument imaging and electronic documentcirculation functionality from COA Solutions. The new system will replace time-consuming paper-based procurement processes with automatedprocedures. TRP's previous processes were paper-driven with documents being manually distributedacross its eight different sites. Using the document circulation and electronicdocument imaging technology, TRP staff will be ableto raise purchase orders and approve purchaseinvoices remotely, eliminating inefficient and energy-intensive paper-based processes. Budget holders willalso be able to electronically create, circulate andaccess financial reports directly from COA Solutions'system, providing a paperless office.John Swainson, Director of Resources at The RoyalParks says: "The new system will significantlyimprove our purchase-to-pay efficiency whilstsupporting our environmental goal to reduce paper." For more information please contact Liz Ebbrell on +44 1625 856505 or liz.ebbrell@coasolutions.comINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY085organisations are aware of how much carbon they emit,they can then implement measures and systems tohelp reduce their yearly emission levels, cuttingallowance costs and ensuring a favourable position inthe league tables.There are a range of IT systems that enable lowerenergy consumption across an organisation andtherefore, reduced emissions, the impact of whichshould not be underestimated. These need notnegatively impact the running of the organisations buton the contrary, they can improve an organisation'sefficiency at the same time as cutting emissions. SuchIT systems are predominantly concerned withautomating energy-intensive processes and includedocument management and self-service technologies. Moving to electronic processes using documentmanagement offers huge potential to reduce office-based carbon emissions associated with some of theworst culprits - photocopiers and printers. Electronicprocesses involving the electronic creation, circulationand storage/imaging of documents eliminate the needto print out, photocopy and post documents (invoices,statements, contracts, personnel records etc.). Byeliminating the related emissions from the likes ofphotocopiers and printers, a business can save manytonnes of carbon.Even better, companies can now measure the impact of this technology on their emissions usingdocument management green meters. COA Solutions'document management subsidiary, Version One,launched such a meter in October 2009. This green meter calculates CO2, paper and tree savingsrelating to the following actions:. Distribution of a document by electronic mail (ratherthan printing and posting the document);. Distribution of a document by automated fax (ratherthan printing and posting the document);. Automated storage of an outgoing document (ratherthan printing and filing the document);. Electronic document authorisation (rather thanphotocopying and circulating the document). A soft drinks business has recently implemented theVersion One green meter and has reported saving973.35 tonnes of carbon and 454 trees as a result ofusing Version One's document management andimaging solutions over the past six years. With theallowance per tonne of carbon being £12, had the CRCscheme been in effect since 2004, this soft drinksbusiness would have saved £11,680 on allowancesover these six years, or £1,946 per year. Self-service technologies are also vital for cutting theuse of high emitting printers and photocopiers. Thesetechnologies enable authorised staff across theorganisation to directly access and input informationinto the organisation's central software systems (HR,payroll, accounting etc.), removing the need for theproduction and circulation of paper-based information.Similarly, providing employees with access tocollaborative and file-sharing tools directly from theirPCs means that less paper is being produced andduplicated across the business.Other technologies which automate energy-intensiveprocesses, thereby reducing carbon emissions, include(but are not limited to) electronic procurement,electronic employee expenses management andelectronic payslip systems.CONCLUSIONComplying with the CRC Energy Efficiency Schemeneed not be a chore as long as the qualifyingorganisations are supported by the right softwaresystems for the calculation, management, reportingand reduction of CO2. Without such systems in place,it is difficult to imagine how a business is able toeffectively and efficiently comply with the CRC,thereby risking financial penalties, imprisonment andsevere reputational damage. n" "IT IS VITAL THATQUALIFYING ORGANISATIONSHAVE THE RIGHT ITINFRASTRUCTUREIN PLACE TO HELP THEM TO MEASURE, MONITOR AND REDUCE CARBONEMISSIONS