The Environment Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network accounts for the greenhouse gas emissions of the physical sites of the Velocity Interoperability Network. Emissions are calculated from the energy figures that member organisations report under Energy and from the refrigerant and water records that maintainers keep for each site. No organisation is asked to measure emissions directly: the Department applies a common set of factors to the figures it already receives, so that every site is counted on the same basis.

Alongside the accounts, the Department operates a network of monitoring stations at selected sites. The stations record electricity consumption, generator running and the condition of cooling plant at short intervals, and provide an independent check on the quarterly figures. Six stations were installed by member organisations before the Department was established and passed to it on 6 September 2026; a further six are being commissioned or planned.

This page sets out what is counted, the factors used, the stations in the monitoring network and how readings become published figures. The reporting calendar and the steps an organisation follows are under How to report.

What is counted

Electricity supply

Emissions attributed to the electricity a site draws from the grid, calculated by applying the Network standard factor to metered consumption. Electricity from a certified low-carbon contract is counted at the residual factor.

Standby generation

Emissions from fuel burned in standby generators, whether for testing or during a loss of supply. Fuel is reported by type and volume and converted using the factors below.

Heating plant

Emissions from gas oil or natural gas burned to heat a site. Heating that serves only the equipment rooms of a site is counted; heating of a shared building is apportioned by floor area.

Refrigerant losses

Emissions from refrigerant lost from cooling plant, taken from the top-up quantities recorded by the maintainer. Refrigerant is converted at the global warming potential of the gas in use.

Cooling water

Water drawn for evaporative cooling is recorded in cubic metres. It carries no emission factor but is reported so that the Department can assess the exposure of a site to restrictions on supply.

Emission factors. The factors below apply to reports for 2026. They are reviewed each January and any change is announced in the Newsroom before it takes effect. An organisation that holds a supplier-specific factor for its electricity may apply to use it in place of the standard factor by writing to contact@environment.gov.vin with the supplier's certificate.

The emissions target. The Department seeks a reduction of 30 per cent by 2030 in the Network's emissions per unit of installed equipment, measured against the figures for 2027, the first full year of reporting. Progress towards the target is reported each year with the annual aggregate figures.

The monitoring network is made up of stations installed at physical sites of the Network. Each station is registered against an entry on the register of sites and records the parameters listed below. Data halls and transmission sites, where load is high and standby generation is most likely to run, are read every fifteen minutes; exchanges and offices with a single equipment room are read every thirty minutes.

A station in commissioning is installed and transmitting but its readings have not yet been checked against the site's meters. A planned station has a confirmed site and an installation date in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Department expects to add stations at every registered data hall by the end of 2027.

From readings to published figures. Readings pass through four stages before they appear in the Department's aggregate figures.

1. 1

   Step 1: Readings are collected

   Each station records its parameters at the interval shown in the table and transmits the readings to the Department once an hour. A station that has not transmitted for six hours is flagged to the site's member organisation.

2. 2

   Step 2: Readings are checked

   The Department checks each day's readings for gaps, stuck values and readings outside the range of the instrument. Suspect readings are marked and the site is asked to confirm or correct them.

3. 3

   Step 3: Readings are reconciled with the quarterly report

   After each quarter the metered figures submitted under How to report are compared with the station's record. Where the two differ by more than 2 per cent the organisation is asked to explain the difference.

4. 4

   Step 4: Aggregate figures are published

   Within 60 days of the date on which quarterly reports fall due, the Department publishes emissions for the Network as a whole and by class of site. Figures for an individual site are not published.

A member organisation whose site houses a station may request the raw readings for that site at any time by writing to contact@environment.gov.vin. Readings are not a substitute for the quarterly report; see the frequently asked questions for how the two relate. Unplanned generator running and alarms recorded by a station may also constitute an incident to be reported under Incidents.