Setting up accounts

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Accounts track consumption, cost, and activity data for utilities, such as electricity or natural gas. Accounts can also track KPI information and spend data of suppliers for Scope 3 reporting. Typically, the frequency in which account data is uploaded is monthly or quarterly. Activity data is captured for any period in records and the data is normalized into monthly values for reporting purposes.

About this task

Accounts are based on an account style, which is similar to a template. The account style determines the data entry fields that are displayed on the Data Capture forms. For example, different data is collected for an electricity account compared to a natural gas account.

As a system administrator, to review a list of account styles that are available in IBM® ESG Suite, from the main menu, click Manage > Account Styles. For more information, see Reviewing Account styles.

Account styles are listed in the Account Styles grid. You can filter the grid, for example, by scope category or data type. You can export the list of account styles for offline analysis.

Note: It is recommended that you set the Opened On and Replaced On dates when you open or close an account. Not defining these values could impact the accuracy of accruals, which are estimations for missing data, and reports that investigate missing account data.

Procedure

  1. As a system administrator, from the main menu, click Manage > Accounts to open the Accounts grid.
  2. Click Create New.
  3. Assign the account to a location. The account must be unique to a location. If you are creating an account from a location, it defaults to the location and cannot be changed.
  4. Select an account style from the list that is provided. An account style is a type of template that determines what fields are available on the Capture Data form for the account.
  5. Assign an account number. The number must be 100 characters or less and must be unique within the location of the account.
  6. Optional: Assign an account reference. The reference field is a user-defined field to capture reference information. The field has a limit of 100 characters.
  7. Optional: Add a supplier name. The name field is a user-defined field that can be used to capture supplier information. The field has a limit of 100 characters.
  8. Use Reader to indicate if the data for the account is entered manually or entered by using a data connector, for example, Connector-name of connector/supplier. Alternatively, this field can be used as an additional reference field.
  9. Set Linked meter to the meter that records interval data for the same data type as the account.
  10. Skip the Closed on date when you are opening an account. It references the date that the account was replaced or closed.
  11. Optional: Enter the date that the account was opened on.
  12. Set Sub type to the subset of emission factors within a data type. This option is infrequently used and should only be selected if you are certain that a subset of emission factors exist. Speak to the Envizi support team if you are unsure.
  13. Click Save.

What to do next

When you create an account, verify that the account is added to the Accounts grid.

After you create accounts, run the Extract for Accounts report to verify that the updates are consistent with the configuration of other accounts in the organization. The reports can assist in identifying inconsistencies in naming conventions and account style selection.

You can upload scope 1, 2, and 3 activity data, scope 3 spend data, and KPI data in bulk by using predefined templates. If an account exists, the data records are added. If the account does not exist, the account is created first. For more information, see Adding account data in bulk.