Everything you need to know about carbon, energy, and the Gravity platform.

AI should never do the math. In a well-governed platform, AI handles data collection, classification, and drafting, while all emissions calculations use deterministic formulas — fixed equations that produce the same result every time. Gravity follows this principle: agents do the work, calculations use fixed formulas, recommendations cite their sources, and human approval gates cover consequential decisions.

A chatbot answers questions and a copilot assists while you drive. An agent owns the task end to end: it plans the work, uses the platform's tools and data to do it, and pauses only for human approval at defined checkpoints. The difference matters because a chatbot saves minutes, while an agent that processes a batch of utility bills or migrates historical data saves weeks.

API-first means every capability of a platform is exposed through an API — anything a person can do by clicking, software can do programmatically. This matters because an agent is only as capable as the surface it can reach. On an API-first platform, agents can do broad, general work across the whole data model; on platforms where the API was bolted on later, agents are limited to the narrow tasks they were wired for.

An AI agent is software you can hand a task to and reasonably trust to carry it out, flag what's unclear, and tell you when it's done. Unlike chatbots or copilots that respond to prompts one message at a time, an agent works in the background across an entire task — using the platform's tools and data — and stops for human approval at defined gates.

An AI skill is detailed written guidance that an agent reads before doing a specific kind of task — the steps, the standards to follow, and the edge cases that trip teams up. Skills are created and validated by human subject matter experts, then applied automatically whenever the task calls for them. Gravity's climate and energy experts have built more than 85 skills covering work like data migration, energy project identification, and regulatory report drafting.

Ask about scope (can it do anything a person can do in the platform, or only a fixed list of tasks?), expertise (was it trained on real domain work via skills?), platform access (is the software API-first?), and governance (approval gates, audit trails, deterministic calculations).

Not necessarily. The GHG Protocol requires a screening of all 15 categories to identify which are material, but only material categories need detailed measurement. Under SBTi V2.0, Scope 3 targets must cover categories representing 5% or more of total Scope 3 emissions. Most companies find that 3–5 categories account for the vast majority of their Scope 3 footprint.

With a modern carbon accounting platform like Gravity, teams completing their first inventory typically reach disclosure readiness in 8 weeks. The timeline depends on data availability, organizational complexity, and the number of Scope 3 categories included. Historical spreadsheet approaches often take 6–12 months.

tCO₂e stands for tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is the standard unit for expressing greenhouse gas emissions, normalizing different gases (methane, nitrous oxide, HFCs) to their equivalent CO₂ warming impact using global warming potentials (GWPs) published by the IPCC. This allows all GHGs to be summed into a single comparable metric.

A base year is the reference year against which emission reduction progress is measured. SBTi requires base years no earlier than 2015. The base year inventory must be recalculated when significant structural changes occur (mergers, acquisitions, methodology changes) to ensure year-over-year comparisons remain valid.

An emission factor is a coefficient that converts an activity measurement (e.g., litres of diesel, kWh of electricity, dollars of spend) into greenhouse gas emissions in CO₂ equivalent. Published by agencies like EPA, DEFRA, and the IEA, factor selection is one of the most consequential decisions in carbon accounting — using a generic factor when activity-specific data is available can introduce errors of 50% or more.

Carbon accounting is the systematic process of measuring, recording, and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across an organization's operations and value chain. It follows standardized methodologies — most commonly the GHG Protocol — to quantify Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (value chain) emissions in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e), producing an auditable inventory for disclosure, compliance, and reduction planning.

Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (e.g., fuel combustion, refrigerant leaks). Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling. Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions across the value chain — upstream (suppliers, travel, commuting) and downstream (product use, end-of-life). Scope 3 typically represents 70–90% of total corporate emissions.

Data quality directly determines inventory credibility. A hierarchy runs from highest quality (verified supplier-specific data) to lowest (spend-based estimates). Improving from spend-based to activity-based data can change calculated emissions by 50% or more. PCAF’s 1–5 scoring system is a model for tracking data quality alongside emission figures.

Refrigerants are a Scope 1 activity type. Enter the refrigerant type and either recharge amounts or an assumed annual leakage rate (for example, 10% for building HVAC), and Gravity applies the correct global warming potential to convert to tCO₂e. Estimates are flagged and can be swapped for service-log actuals later.

Gravity automatically converts energy data from electricity and combustion sources into MWh using three conversion paths: energy units (e.g., MMBtu, therms) via dimensional analysis, mass units (e.g., tonnes of coal) via IPCC energy content values, and volume units (e.g., cubic meters of natural gas) via WRI density values. This follows CDP methodology and enables like-for-like comparison across fuel types.

For Scope 3 spend-based data, Gravity applies inflation adjustment using BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) industry-specific Chain-Type Price Indexes and foreign exchange conversion via ExchangeRate-API. This ensures spend data and emission factors are compared in consistent dollar years and currencies. AI-powered factor inference maps spend descriptions to appropriate emission factors from the US EPA EEIO model automatically.

Gravity automatically prorates utility data by day. If a bill spans December 15 to January 15, consumption is split proportionally across the two months so nothing is double-counted and annual totals stay accurate. The raw Activity Data export shows full records, while reports and dashboards display only the prorated portion within the selected reporting period.

PCAF scores range from 1 (highest — verified, reported emissions data from borrowers) to 5 (lowest — estimated from sector averages and revenue proxies). Financial institutions are expected to improve their score distribution over time by engaging borrowers and investees to report primary emissions data.

Double materiality is the CSRD’s assessment framework requiring companies to evaluate sustainability topics from two perspectives: impact materiality (how the company affects society and environment) and financial materiality (how sustainability issues affect the company’s finances). A topic meeting either threshold requires full disclosure.

Crawl (Year 1): use CBECS-based estimates for sites without data to establish a defensible baseline. Walk (Year 2): replace estimates with actual utility bills, landlord data, or integrations. Run (Year 3+): automate with utility integrations, refine emission factors, and focus on reduction strategy. Estimates are legitimate under the GHG Protocol — document methodology and your footprint is defensible.

Location-based Scope 2 uses average grid emission factors for the region where electricity is consumed. Market-based Scope 2 reflects specific purchasing choices — renewable energy certificates (RECs), power purchase agreements (PPAs), or green tariffs. The GHG Protocol requires dual reporting using both methods.

The GHG Protocol is the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standard, developed by WRI and WBCSD. It defines Scope 1, 2, and 3 boundaries, calculation methodologies, and five reporting principles (relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency, accuracy). Over 90% of Fortune 500 companies use it.

Assurance is an independent third-party assessment of GHG data and processes. Limited assurance (moderate confidence, negative statement) is required initially by CSRD and SB 253. Reasonable assurance (higher confidence, positive opinion, similar to financial audit) is the ultimate goal. Evidence-linked data trails make assurance faster and less costly.

Gravity’s Insights module analyzes utility consumption patterns across facilities to surface anomalies (unexpected spikes or drops), benchmarking outliers (facilities performing below peers), and specific savings opportunities. The Marketplace then connects organizations with vetted vendors to execute projects, and the platform tracks actual savings against projections.

Effective energy management typically reduces energy spend by 10–30% through measures like LED retrofits (40–70% lighting savings), HVAC optimization (10–30% savings), compressed air leak repair, demand response participation, and renewable energy procurement. Government incentives (IRA tax credits, utility rebates) can cover 20–50% of project costs.

Asset control determines which emissions belong in which scope based on the GHG Protocol’s organizational boundary guidance. Gravity supports four reporting boundary options: Under Control (Scope 1 and 2), Leased from Others (Scope 3 Category 8), Leased to Others (Scope 3 Category 13), and Ownership Interest (Scope 3 Category 15 — Investments). Gravity automatically routes emissions to the correct scope based on your selection.

Demand response is a mechanism where electricity consumers reduce or shift power consumption during peak periods in exchange for financial compensation. It helps balance the grid, lowers energy costs, and reduces emissions by avoiding generation from carbon-intensive peaker plants.

Every kWh of electricity saved directly reduces Scope 2 emissions by avoiding the grid emissions associated with that consumption. Energy efficiency is the fastest, lowest-cost decarbonization lever because it reduces both operating costs and carbon simultaneously — typical payback is 1–5 years with 15–40% internal rates of return.

Unifying carbon accounting and energy management eliminates duplicate data entry, ensures consistency between energy and emissions reporting, and enables organizations to simultaneously optimize for cost reduction and carbon reduction. Every kWh saved reduces both Scope 2 emissions and electricity costs. Most organizations manage these in separate silos — Gravity is the only platform that combines them.

Yes — over 60% of Gravity customers switched from another tool. Migration includes historical data, factor mappings, and reporting baselines. Most teams are live on Gravity within 6 weeks with no gap in reporting continuity. Source records are preserved so audit trails carry forward.

Start by setting your organizational boundary (which operations to include), collecting Scope 1 and 2 data (fuel records and utility bills), and selecting a carbon accounting platform. A platform like Gravity automates data collection and factor matching so your team can focus on analysis. Most organizations then expand to Scope 3 categories progressively, starting with the largest sources.

Migration typically takes 6 weeks from kickoff to live production, including historical data import, factor mapping verification, and reporting baseline validation. Gravity’s migration process preserves all historical inventories and evidence trails so there is no gap in reporting continuity or audit readiness.

At minimum: utility bills (electricity, natural gas) for Scope 2 and parts of Scope 1; fuel purchase records for fleet and stationary combustion (Scope 1); and refrigerant logs if applicable. For Scope 3, procurement spend data by category is the fastest starting point. Gravity’s agents can process documents in any format — PDF bills, invoices, spreadsheets.

Carbon neutral allows offsetting 100% of current emissions without mandatory reduction percentages. Net zero (per SBTi) requires at least 90–95% absolute emission reductions first, with only residual emissions balanced through permanent carbon dioxide removal. Net zero is a significantly higher bar and is considered more credible by stakeholders.

Yes. Gravity supports direct utility integrations that automatically pull consumption and cost data each month from hundreds of supported providers. Once connected, integrations backfill up to 12 months of historical data and continue pulling new bills monthly. Gravity also supports an EnergyCAP API integration for organizations that use EnergyCAP as their utility data system of record.

Yes. Bill Scan reads invoices in most European languages and several Asian languages, pulling consumption, cost, dates, and supplier. Spend data is converted across currencies and dollar-years so figures stay comparable. This matters for multinational teams collecting bills from dozens of countries.

Yes. Waste and water are activity types alongside electricity, natural gas, and fuel. You set them up at the site level and track consumption, cost, and emissions, including waste diversion rates (recycled, landfilled, combusted, donated) across categories. Waste and water bills run through the same Bill Scan pipeline and utility integrations as energy. Some customers use Gravity primarily for waste tracking. Both map to Scope 3 (Category 1 water, Category 5 waste) or site-level views, depending on how you want to slice the data.

Yes. Every record is exportable, and Gravity supports API access for teams that pipe emissions and activity data into a warehouse or BI layer such as Databricks, Power BI, or Tableau. Raw Activity Data exports carry full source records and audit notes, so nothing is locked in.

Yes. Fleets are tracked separately from sites as their own object for mobile combustion: vehicles, delivery trucks, forklifts, even aircraft. Group fleets by region, site, or entity, add fuel or mileage data, and model fleet electrification inside decarbonization plans. Gravity’s founding team came from Samsara, the telematics provider, so fleet emissions have been a focus since day one.

Yes — this is a key differentiator. Gravity is the only platform that combines carbon accounting and energy management in a single operating layer. Utility data simultaneously populates emissions inventories and energy dashboards. The Insights module surfaces anomalies and savings opportunities, and the Marketplace connects organizations with vetted vendors for efficiency projects.

Bill Scan is Gravity’s AI-powered extraction engine for utility bills. Upload PDFs — individually or in bulk — and Bill Scan automatically extracts consumption, cost, billing period, supplier, and meter number. A dedicated data specialist team reviews bills based on the tier of service, and the system also performs pixel-level duplicate detection to catch files uploaded more than once, even if file names differ.

Gravity sends structured data requests to suppliers through a portal, so they submit activity data or product footprints directly instead of over email. Responses feed your Scope 3 inventory with supplier-specific factors, replacing spend-based estimates. AI-enriched supplier profiles fill gaps while you wait on primary data.

Gravity takes data in whatever form you already have it. For spend-based Scope 3, teams export the general ledger or purchase records from SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, or another ERP as a spreadsheet, and Gravity’s agents map line items to emission factors automatically. Where a direct feed helps, Gravity supports API ingestion. During onboarding, your climate strategist walks each emissions category and picks the most efficient path per source: ERP export, supplier invoices, or utility integration.

Gravity’s estimation feature fills gaps in electricity and natural gas data using CBECS (Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey) national averages based on building square footage and type. Estimates are clearly flagged in the platform and can be replaced with actual data at any time. This supports a ‘Crawl, Walk, Run’ approach: start with estimates, upgrade to actuals, then automate with integrations.

Gravity’s UtilityScan feature automatically extracts data from utility bill documents using AI-powered OCR, validates it against historical patterns, flags anomalies, and routes exceptions to human reviewers. Validated data flows directly into both the carbon inventory (for Scope 1 and 2 emissions) and the energy management dashboard (for cost optimization) without duplicate entry.

Gravity pricing is scoped from the work, not per seat. This means your entire sustainability team, finance stakeholders, facility managers, and executive sponsors can access the platform without incremental license costs. Contact us for a scoped proposal based on your organization's complexity.

Gravity is the only platform that unifies carbon accounting and energy management. Utility bills feed both the emissions inventory and the energy management dashboard without duplicate entry. Gravity's AI agents handle full workflows autonomously (not just chat or file cleaning), calculations are always deterministic (fixed formulas, not AI math), and every figure links back to its source document for audit readiness. Gravity was ranked No. 1 overall by Verdantix across 22 vendors.

Yes. Gravity holds SOC 2 Type II certification, demonstrating rigorous controls over data security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. This is essential for enterprise customers handling sensitive operational and financial data.

Gravity's AI agents handle full workflows autonomously — gathering data, mapping it to sites and factors, loading records, and drafting reports — stopping only for human approval at defined gates. Unlike chatbots or copilots, agents work in the background on many tasks in parallel. All calculations use deterministic formulas (not AI estimation), and every AI recommendation is cited with sources.

Gravity supports structured reporting for CSRD (EU mandatory sustainability reporting), SECR (UK streamlined energy and carbon reporting), CDP (voluntary investor disclosure), TCFD (climate-related financial disclosures), and customer-mandated programs such as Walmart supplier sustainability. Each framework includes a guided questionnaire with embedded guidance, AI-assisted response drafting, and a full audit trail.

Gravity is an enterprise carbon accounting and energy management platform. It automates the collection, calculation, and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3; manages utility data for energy cost optimization; plans and tracks reduction projects; and generates disclosure-ready reports for CSRD, CDP, SBTi, SB 253, and other frameworks — all from a single operating layer with full evidence trails.

Gravity is one of the carbon measurement platforms featured on Amazon’s Sustainability Exchange, a curated marketplace of vetted sustainability solutions recommended to Amazon’s supplier network. The Sustainability Exchange helps Amazon suppliers measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impact as part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitments.

Report locking creates a frozen, audit-ready snapshot of your emissions inventory at a specific point in time. Once locked, the report does not change even if underlying data is updated later. Gravity surfaces notifications showing what changed and the impact, and you can accept updates to create a new snapshot. Full snapshot history is preserved for audit documentation.

Gravity supports three role levels: Super Admin (full platform access including report locking and user management), Admin (scoped to specific organizations within the hierarchy), and Viewer (read-only access). SSO is supported through Google, Microsoft, Okta, and other providers.

Yes. Auditors get view-only access across the platform, with the full audit log and a show-calculation drill-down on every figure: source document, unit conversions, emission factor, and constituent gases. Because auditors answer their own questions without a document request cycle, customers see audit timelines drop from three to four weeks to three to four days. Much of Gravity’s business comes through audit firms for this reason.

Yes. Gravity provides GHG Protocol-aligned emissions accounting across all three scopes, evidence-linked audit trails for third-party verification, automated data collection from utilities and suppliers, and structured reporting outputs that map to CSRD/ESRS E1, CDP questionnaire structure, SBTi target tracking, and SB 253 requirements. One data foundation serves all frameworks.

SBTi validates corporate GHG reduction targets for alignment with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C pathway. The Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2.0 (published June 2026, mandatory from February 2028) introduces company categorization (A and B), separate Scope 1 and 2 targets with multiple methods, an implementation hierarchy, and the Ongoing Emissions Responsibility program. Scope 3 targets are required for Category A companies, covering categories with 5%+ of Scope 3 emissions.

SB 253 (Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) requires any entity doing business in California with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion to report Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Scope 1 and 2 reporting begins for year 2026; Scope 3 begins for year 2027. Reports require independent third-party verification.

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) applies a carbon price to imports of cement, steel, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. The transitional phase (reporting only) began October 2023. The definitive phase starts 2026, when importers must purchase certificates matching embedded emissions. Exporters with lower verified emissions pay less.

CDP operates the world’s largest environmental disclosure system. Over 23,000 companies report climate, water, and forest data to CDP on behalf of 740+ investor signatories managing $136 trillion in assets. While voluntary, investor and customer pressure makes CDP disclosure effectively required for many large companies. Scores range from A (leadership) to D– (minimal).

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is the EU’s mandatory sustainability reporting law. It requires companies to disclose ESG data under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), with third-party assurance. It applies to large EU companies, listed SMEs, and non-EU companies with significant EU operations (>150M EUR EU net turnover or a large EU subsidiary). Reporting phases in from 2025 through 2029.

CSRD uses double materiality (reporting both how sustainability issues affect the company and how the company affects the environment). ISSB uses single (financial) materiality focused on investor impact. CSRD generally requires more extensive disclosures. Many multinational companies must comply with both frameworks.

The SEC’s climate disclosure rule requires US-registered public companies to disclose material climate-related risks, Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions (for large filers), and climate-related financial impacts in annual reports. Adopted in March 2024, it has faced legal challenges affecting implementation timing.