Reducing jobsite emissions is a priority for more and more construction companies and project owners, but it’s hard to manage what you can’t measure. Now, a groundbreaking set of digital tools from United Rentals is giving customers the ability to view their rental equipment and jobsites through the lens of current and historical estimated carbon emissions. 

In the new Estimated Emissions dashboard in Total Control^®, the United Rentals worksite management system, companies can quickly and easily identify the equipment types and jobsites that produce the most carbon dioxide and make informed, data-based decisions on how best to improve the sustainability of their operations. The new dashboard adds to an existing feature in Total Control that allows users to run estimated emissions reports on individual pieces of equipment.

Dynamic data visualizations

Users can choose to view estimated emissions data—specifically, estimated metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent—by equipment category class, time or jobsite. 

Choosing the cat class view reveals a tree map showing the top 20 emitters by equipment category class, such as earthmoving equipment, forklifts, aerial work platforms and power and HVAC equipment. In the time view, color-coded charts illustrate at a glance how estimated total emissions have increased or decreased over specific months and years. The jobsite view shows a bar chart of jobsites and their estimated total emissions.  

From any view, users can further filter the data by time period (such as this month, last month, year to date and last year), by account, by jobsite and by cat class. Helpful data cards on every view highlight important information such as the total estimated emissions of all rental equipment, the highest estimated emissions in a single month and the cat class with the highest total estimated emissions.

Turning actionable data into cleaner jobsites   

When it comes to replacing heavy-emissions equipment with cleaner alternatives, companies have more rental options than ever before. These include cleaner generators, stand-alone batteries and solar arrays for off-grid power needs; battery energy storage systems for storing extra energy; and a wide range of electric and hybrid machines, from forklifts to mini excavators to telehandlers. But swapping out an entire fossil fuel-based fleet for greener alternatives isn’t realistic. Focusing on the highest-emissions equipment lets companies enact the changes that will yield the biggest results. 

For example, if the data reveals that diesel generators are a company’s biggest emitters, sustainability managers can choose to incorporate cleaner portable power options, such as propane generators and hybrid power systems. If diesel boom lifts are producing most of the carbon emissions on a jobsite, battery electric boom lifts are an option worth exploring. Reductions in emissions that result from equipment swaps can easily be tracked via the time, jobsite or cat class views. 

To make the process of choosing cleaner-burning equipment more seamless, United Rentals is developing a tool that will suggest lower-emission alternatives for the equipment customers are currently renting and estimate the associated emissions savings.

Meeting sustainability goals

With the Estimated Emissions dashboard, companies that are making progress toward lowering their projects’ carbon emissions have the data to prove it to owners and investors. They can provide owners with data for sustainability or environmental impact reporting. And they can show potential customers that they’re doing their part to help the planet. 

Ready access to easily digestible, shareable data on estimated emissions is a potential game-changer in the drive to reduce the carbon footprint of jobsites. United Rentals puts this data, and the power to act on it, at customers’ fingertips.

To start gaining insights into your projects’ carbon emissions, request information on Total Control and the Estimated Emissions dashboard today.