SciSys has delivered the first phase of the landmark CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme on behalf of the Environment Agency. The project was delivered on time and within budget to meet the scheme’s official launch date of 1st April 2010.
Approximately 20,000 organisations affected by CRC will now have to register their details with the Environment Agency before 30th September 2010. Around 5,000 of these organisations with an annual electricity consumption of at least 6,000 Megawatt Hours will have to report their energy usage and purchase allowances for each tonne of CO2 they emit. Working closely with the Environment Agency project team and representatives from DECC, SEPA and NIEA, SciSys has delivered a flexible, secure web-enabled system that supports:
- Registration and change management for all organisations
- Links between 20,000 organisations and their Half Hourly Electricity Meter details
SciSys were chosen by the Environment Agency to develop and deliver this innovative project because of their proven track record in developing solutions that keep pace with fast changing policy/legislative requirements, whilst maintaining a delivery approach that is flexible, robust, minimises risk and allows an effective response to changes.
Andrew Hitchings, CRC Programme Executive for the Environment Agency said: “SciSys demonstrated a clear understanding of our requirements, had a tried and tested solution and was able to establish a clear delivery strategy.
“The registration system is now up and running on the Environment Agency’s website. Affected organisations have until 30th September to register.”
This has been a ground breaking IT project due to the close working partnership between the Environment Agency and SciSys. The project has adopted a new way of working, with SciSys taking a full management role and interacting directly with those developing, administrating and participating in the scheme.
The CRC solution is a bespoke web-based solution with stringent security requirements, due to the nature of the data stored. It therefore works in partnership with the UK Government’s secure gateway portal to provide secure login and authentication. The system has been designed in conjunction with both administrative users and potential Participants to maximise ease of use whilst remaining compliant with the latest web content accessibility guidelines.
Wall Engineering Company Ltd, a structural steel engineering and fabricating company based in Norfolk, was the first organisation to register for the scheme. The company will be an Information Declarer in the scheme. Simon Tully, Financial & ICT Director at Wall Engineering said: “Registration itself was swift and simple via the CRC portal on the Environmental Agency website.”
The contract is a full service arrangement with SciSys engaged to not only deliver the software solution and external hosting arrangements but also to provide a substantial support and maintenance service.
Phase two of the project is currently in progress and will support:
- Participants submission of Footprint and Annual reports;
- Compilation of the overall performance league table and revenue recycling;
- Secure trading processes for fixed price and ad hoc allowance purchases; and
- Facilitation of secondary market trading between participants and traders.
Further information on CRC can be found at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/crc.
