How to choose carbon accounting software in India

A buyer's scorecard: weigh what matters to your business, get a checklist of questions to ask in every vendor demo, and score your shortlist against the same weights. A must-have answered No is flagged whatever the total.

What to weigh, and what to ask

Reads Indian electricity bills

Electricity is the biggest line for most Indian factories, and bills differ by state and tariff. Ask: Show it reading one of our bills: units, kVAh billing, tariff category and the billing period. Red flag: You type the kWh in by hand.

Sorts GST invoice lines

Fuel, freight and materials arrive as GST invoices. Sorting them by hand is where errors start. Ask: How is each invoice line assigned to Scope 1, 2 or 3? What happens when it cannot tell? Red flag: Everything on an invoice lands in one category.

Shows the factor and source on every line

An auditor or buyer will ask where each number came from. Ask: For any figure, can we see the activity, the factor, its source and version? Red flag: Only totals, with a "methodology" PDF.

Keeps tamper-evident evidence

The same bill uploaded twice, or edited later, breaks a report. Ask: How do you stop a document being counted twice, and how do we prove a record has not changed? Red flag: Duplicates are caught by eye.

Has a review and verification step

Unchecked extractions should not reach a report as if they were final. Ask: Which records are verified, which are not, and does the report say so? Red flag: Everything is marked final as soon as it is uploaded.

BRSR figures for listed buyers

Listed companies ask suppliers for BRSR energy and emissions data. Ask: Which BRSR fields does it fill, and which are left to us? Red flag: "Full BRSR" with no field list.

CBAM data for EU buyers

EU importers need direct and indirect emissions per tonne from Indian producers. Ask: Can it produce per-tonne direct and indirect emissions for one product and period? Red flag: A CBAM "estimate" built from country averages only.

Collects supplier (Scope 3) data

Large buyers need your suppliers' numbers, not just yours. Ask: How do suppliers send data, and how is a supplier figure kept separate from an estimate? Red flag: Spend-based estimates presented as supplier data.

Publishes its pricing

Hidden pricing usually means a long sales cycle and surprise add-ons. Ask: What does a year cost for our volume, all in, including GST? Red flag: "Contact sales" for every plan.

Says where data and AI processing sit

Some buyers and lenders ask where documents are stored and which AI services read them. Ask: Where is the database? Which AI providers read our documents, and in which region? Red flag: An answer about the database only, silent on AI processing.

Lets you take your data out

Your records should outlive any vendor. Ask: Can we export every record with its source and factor, on our plan? Red flag: Export only on request, or only as PDF.

How Senseible answers the same questions

• Reads Indian electricity bills: Reads units, kVAh, tariff category and sanctioned load from the bill, and leaves out consumer name, address and account numbers.
• Sorts GST invoice lines: Classifies each line by its HSN code first, and by keyword only when the unit agrees.
• Shows the factor and source on every line: Every line shows the quantity, the emission factor and where the factor comes from.
• Keeps tamper-evident evidence: Each file gets a SHA-256 fingerprint, so the same document is counted once.
• Has a review and verification step: Records are verified before they count as final, and reports mark anything still unverified.
• BRSR figures for listed buyers: Fills the Principle 6 energy and emissions figures. Other BRSR sections are not covered, so our BRSR coverage is partial.
• CBAM data for EU buyers: Maps your records to CBAM's direct, indirect and embedded emissions for exporters to share with EU buyers.
• Collects supplier (Scope 3) data: Turns supplier invoices into a Scope 3 trail with the source and a confidence level for each line.
• Publishes its pricing: Plans and prices are on the pricing page, with GST shown at checkout.
• Says where data and AI processing sit: No claim made yet; ask us, as you would ask anyone.
• Lets you take your data out: Download my data is available on the Scale plan.