Don’t overlook the gas meter

Joel Stark explains the importance of gas metering and how this can form part of a strategy towards lower carbon emissions

Gas is embedded into the current UK energy system and has significantly lower CO2 emissions on combustion per unit of energy delivered than either coal or oil. However, it has higher emissions than nuclear and most renewable energy sources.
Moving to a low-carbon energy system is front of mind for businesses but how can they do this? Taking control of gas metering can be part of the puzzle to reduce consumption.

We all know that the UK is moving further towards a cost-effective and low-carbon energy system. It was the first major economy to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050. It is also becoming clear that the role the gas sector can play in the reduction of carbon emissions is bigger than first thought.

In 2018, natural gas accounted for 39 per cent (880TWh) of primary energy demand. UK gas demand is dominated by two sectors: domestic consumption and power generation, which together make up about 70 per cent of demand; the remainder goes to industrial, commercial and other uses. (UK Government (2019), Digest of UK Energy Statistics). Managing gas consumption is therefore a key part of delivering the NetZero 2050 targets.

Gas energy demand is highly seasonal and driven by the obvious need for heating in winter. However, there remains a real and achievable opportunity for businesses to reduce and eliminate gas waste over the winter months.

Wasted gas most often occurs when:
• boilers are left on when a building is empty;
• boilers are working unnecessarily all year round;
• limited visibility in your gas consumption means opportunities to reduce are missed; and
• boiler controls have been overridden.

Identifying wasted gas is simple provided you have the right data. To get the data you need a robust metering platform. To find the opportunities to avoid wasted gas you need detailed analytics. Being able to “see” your gas consumption in granular detail can really help identify any inefficiencies in building operation and boiler controls as well as your waste consumption when the building is empty.

Empowering our customers to better manage their energy is at the very core of what we do. As an energy data and analytics company, we know a lot about how to ensure our customers have access to high quality energy data and where to find savings and what to monitor to make the savings continue.

We have recently worked with Cheney School, a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, in Headington, Oxford.

Using Stark’s data collection and energy analytics tool, Cheney School was able to identify 32 per cent potential reductions in gas consumption from “wasted gas”, resulting in a huge cost saving and contributor to emissions goals.

But they’re not alone. Across over 500+ schools Stark provides gas metering, data and analytic services for, we found that over £500,000 savings were possible just by eliminating wasted gas between Christmas Day and New Year. That is enough to justify another 25 new full time teachers!

We find many organisations simply do not enjoy easy access to daily gas data. This contrasts hugely with the electricity market where access to high quality data is a given. However, you have the power to change this. You can choose your own Gas Meter Asset Manager (MAM) and enjoy direct access to your meter data from an independent expert.

Gas MAMs are responsible for the design, installation, commission, maintenance, removal and disposal of gas meters and are well placed to ensure uninterrupted, direct access to your data. Stark’s gas MAM is the first of its kind to put the customer data needs at its heart.
We provide an end to end service from meter through data and include a powerful analytics tool in a simple bundle which you can often even pay for via your supplier’s bill.

We’re seeing more and more organisations who are frustrated at their current lack of data follow this route. They are actively taking control of their gas data by choosing solutions such as ours that offer the same choice and transparency that they already benefit from with their electricity. And we keep seeing that with high quality gas data organisations can make informed changes to their gas consumption to achieve greater savings.

We predict that the UK’s commitment to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050 and the movement to a low-carbon energy system will see greater opportunities within the gas sector. Accurate monitoring and analysis of consumption coupled with the empowerment of gas MAMs will be part of this journey to emission reduction.