Cox Enterprises and Urjanet to Track Energy Use Across 30,000 Accounts

Cox Enterprises, the communications and auto services firm, has announced it will track energy usage and costs for 30,000 utility accounts using services provided by Urjanet.

Urjanet provides an energy data feed that includes billing and consumption data from utility accounts in real time, and will allow Cox Enterprises to track accounts with 190 different utility companies. This will enable Cox to measure the impact of its energy efficiency projects, manage resources and demand response initiatives, and improve procurement, the two companies said.

“Urjanet provides a comprehensive and complete view of all the billing, rate and electricity usage across Cox’s facilities,” Robert Fairey, Cox Enterprises’ director of energy procurement, said.

“For large organizations like Cox Enterprises that are spending tens of millions on electricity and natural gas, managing thousands of accounts across locations all over the nation can be costly and time consuming,” Urjanet CEO Sanjoy Malik said. “Urjanet has unique and innovative technology, and its highly scalable platform is purpose-built to give large organizations a single source of reliable data for more cost-effective and eco-efficient enterprise energy management.”

The companies’ partnership is closely tied to Cox Conserves, the sustainability program designed to reduce Cox’s carbon footprint by 20 percent and promote eco-friendly behavior among its employees, communities and other corporations.

In related news, climate change consultant Cleaner Climate has announced a partnership with Greenstone Carbon Management, to help South African companies measure, manage and report carbon emissions from energy, travel, freight, waste and water.

The combined offering will use Greenstone’s online carbon management platform, Acco2unt, for data collection. Clean Climate will then work with the data to help clients develop strategies to reduce their emissions.

The partnership has already received a joint contract from corporate travel company HRG Rennies, which operates in 120 countries across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. HRG Rennies will use the service to provide its clients with breakdowns of their travel emissions, and identify areas where travel could be reduced to save emissions and costs.

Clients of the Greenstone-Cleaner Climate partnership can choose to offset their remaining emissions with Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon credits.