Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Customising Footprint Reporter software to measure carbon intensity

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to maximize energy efficiency to meet the future energy needs of the Northwest region of the United States. NEEA works with the Bonneville Power Administration, the Energy Trust of Oregon and more than 100 utility companies on behalf of more than 12 million energy consumers. It uses the market power of the region to increase adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices.

NEEA wanted to look at its own energy consumption and emissions. The organization asked Best Foot Forward to create a customized version of the Footprint Reporter software, to measure and manage its impact. NEEA Footprint Reporter was developed to include emissions from utilities, refrigerants, commuting, business travel, materials (paper) and freight. In addition, NEEA asked for the development of a new carbon intensity metric, looking at units of carbon expended by NEEA per unit of carbon saved through market transformation efforts. Carbon intensity, measured in this way, was included in the Footprint Reporter tool so that NEEA can benchmark its progress and its impact over time. The software will contribute towards efforts to cut energy use and carbon emissions in this vast region of the US.