# How to choose carbon accounting software in India

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/carbon-accounting-software-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.