When Hopes and Dreams Are Captured in a Spreadsheet

It has been a tough summer for the planet. Wildfires in the western US have sent a lingering smoke haze to the midwest and east coast. Wildfires and floods in Europe. Wildfires in Siberia. Heat domes everywhere. And a chilling report from the IPCC shows the short timeline to irreversible planetary change if we don’t take action. At the same time, our colleagues at Rewiring America have put out a series of research studies and policy papers that shake up the premise that fighting climate change is expensive. Or that it needs a big technology breakthrough. In fact, their work shows the opposite: More than 40% of our emissions come from our homes, places where we can decide what to do. And nearly half of our energy use goes into wasted heat and other thermal byproducts, not into powering our air conditioners, fridges and more. So, if we make different decisions at home, decisions that lead to less energy waste, we can cut emissions significantly while living our same lifestyle.

As this graphic from Rewiring America shows households save money by cutting energy waste through electrification. There is an immediate win for the household. For more information, see the policy papers at the Rewiring America website. The starting place is data. Every home must be engaged. Every home must have choices that make sense. Every home needs to know their starting place. We need to tell the story to each household. The key data is in utility bills.

Enter GLYNT. We have been producing data from utility bills for years. Whether the bill is sent by paper or available in a PDF, we have the technology to capture it and read it accurately. GLYNT produces energy, water and emissions data for any home in simple spreadsheet form. Audit-ready and validated data.

One reader of the recent IPCC report said that it left her trembling. Many others have called the report “dire.” But the solutions from Rewiring America could make the difference. It all starts with the data. And that’s why we’re pinning our hopes and dreams for a healthy planet on a lot of spreadsheets from GLYNT.

If you want to reach households to help them save energy or switch to clean energy, talk to GLYNT. We have the tools to capture the data and turn it into the easy-to-use form you need.

It sounds very corny, but it is also true: Let’s save the planet, one spreadsheet at a time.