​Data drives the NetZero agenda, it’s the start of your story.

Businesses are sitting on a wealth of data – fully immersed and often even overwhelmed.
 
From energy metering data through to information from building controls and IoT / smart devices and systems, or data from access and security systems to data on carbon emissions. 
 
The sheer volume of data at your fingertips is powerful, but if not managed correctly it is useless.
 
The good news is that all of this data is a valuable resource for businesses as we drive towards NetZero 2050.
 
The big question is what do we do with the endless rows of data sets?
 
Data is more valuable than oil, YES really, but only when you interpret the data and create stories:

• Value is in the interpretation of the data and the actionable insights, not the individual streams of data themselves.
• Value is in the analytics and the combination of multiple data sets into a single source of insight.
• Value is in the actionable insights these data sets provide; the stories and advice they provide for your business to make changes.

 
Let’s look at data as if it were a set of letters, that in the right order form words and with the correct writing skills, tell stories. For NetZero to work, we need to take those sets of data to form words, stories and plans. To advise and quantify on the opportunities available to business to journey towards NetZero and reap the rewards.
 
In my previous role I would spend a great deal of time analysing data, interpreting and creating the stories that delivered business benefits to my clients. I would then in turn help those clients communicate their ‘data-stories’ to their colleagues and stakeholders.
 
Why did we need to communicate ‘data-stories’?
To engage and generate buy in. People – our colleagues, customers, partners, suppliers – our stakeholders are important.  They too are also providing valuable bits of data and their actions and reactions are just as valuable to the NetZero journey. They have a part to play so an informed stakeholder is a powerful addition to the NetZero team.
 
Bringing this up to date we need to focus on the fact that data drives the NetZero agenda.
 
Communications experts as well as data scientists can work together to interpret and understand the data, deliver insights that form the business journey to NetZero. This data then communicates the journey to the teams to gain buy-in and get them to help in the NetZero goals. To ultimately change their behaviours and demands on businesses, buildings and transportation.
 
Communication to create change not just in the building controls and the business processes and operations for energy efficiency and carbon reduction but change in the way people behave and their impact on carbon emissions and environment.  For this we consider behavioural intent data – what makes someone do something and how can we influence a change for the better?
 
Communication professionals can help create the strategy and storyboard the journey to NetZero.
They can communicate to those who will change up the business processes and operations, building performance and resulting carbon impact. They can communicate to the colleagues and stakeholders and finally can communicate to the wider marketplace to promote and raise brand awareness.
 
The route to NetZero is a story and each business has a different story to tell.
 
We are all on a journey for carbon reduction and energy efficiency, how we get there may differ and the stories we tell may differ, but each is also driven by data. But don’t forget…data without a story is just data.
 
Collect the data, write the story, communicate and engage, influence and showcase – shout about it and celebrate your successes. The data then comes back round and helps you to evidence you are well on your way to NetZero – don’t forget to communicate that too.
 
If you’d like to know more about how 3-Eight can help your business, please get in touch: [email protected]