InSite is an innovation project developing a national data hub that tracks emissions, energy and costs – before and after decarbonisation interventions across non-domestic buildings and sites – to deliver increased confidence and clarity around Net Zero investments.

Developed by Energy Systems Catapult and funded by Innovate UK, the InSite hub will collect data from 1000s of UK sites and deliver benchmarks, evidence and insights that support better business cases, design, and financing.

The Challenge

Decarbonisation of non-domestic sites is essential to achieve Net Zero. Yet site operators often face a confusing array of technologies, interventions and pathways from which to choose.

Gaps in evidence of real costs and real performance of decarbonisation and energy-saving measures are holding back business cases, better design, and finance.

Common challenges faced by site operators:

• A lack of confidence in project returns vs investment.
• Progress is hard to track and understand what is being delivered.
• Hard to benchmark against other interventions or sites.
• Interventions are deemed too risky by investors and insurers.

The Innovation

InSite will capture data from 1000s of UK sites before and after decarbonisation interventions, covering a broad range of building types, sites, parameters and scenarios, to deliver evidence and insights, including:

• Typical performance of low carbon technologies.
• Energy consumption and use profiles based on half-hourly data (peaks, demand, opportunities for flexibility).
• Benchmarks for energy, costs, and emissions.
• Building archetypes and key characteristics.
• Net Zero ‘blueprints’ – proven pathways for the decarbonisation of similar buildings and sites.
• Support for policy and energy infrastructure design.

The Outcomes

The InSite data hub will help site operators to:

• Create bullet-proof business cases: with real-world evidence on costs and returns from UK projects.
• Easier, quicker project financing: because investors and funders have confidence and clarity about the interventions being proposed.
• Better design interventions: matching generation to energy use and peaks.
• Evaluate technology performance, quotes and costs: to confidently procure new, validated technologies.

Next Steps

Energy Systems Catapult are recruiting buildings, sites and estates from across the UK to deliver data from 1000s of building archetypes with a range of characteristics.