October 21, 2025 – Optera, a leader in sustainability and carbon management software, has added AI-powered data ingestion to its emissions management platform, Operator. Users can now upload raw energy bills with the platform automatically extracting, mapping and translating the data into auditable emissions figures.
Conceived during an internal hackathon, developed by AI engineers and carbon accounting experts and refined through customer feedback, the feature allows users to transfer up to 40 files at once across a variety of formats, including PDFs, PNGs and JPGs. Operator uses AI and OCR technology to instantly extract relevant data from the raw files. The system intuitively maps the information to the correct facilities and time periods and automatically applies the related emissions values to the user’s inventory.
Original source files are retained in the platform, increasing transparency and auditability.
These enhancements help sustainability teams:
- Capture the full emissions picture. Energy data is typically scattered across multiple bills and buried in PDFs and spreadsheets. Facility managers or data owners can now contribute directly while maintaining centralized visibility and control.
- Move from bills to auditable, actionable emissions data in seconds. By automating emissions calculations from raw bill files, Operator expedites carbon reporting and reduction initiatives.
This update continues Optera’s work to make carbon management more accessible for every organization, whether they’re reporting for compliance, corporate customer requests or long-term decarbonization goals.
“AI technology is changing what’s possible for sustainability professionals, but when applied too loosely, it can unnecessarily increase emissions and energy demand,” shared Tim Weiss, CEO and co-founder of Optera. “Optera is focused on thoughtfully and surgically applying AI in highly specific situations where it supports dramatic time savings or improved insights for our clients. Automating the tedious work of bill data extraction is a clear case of value for this new technology.”
Despite pullback on climate policy at the federal level, states still have the authority to enforce local regulations. Regardless of legal challenges, California SB 253 and 261 will kick off in 2026, requiring companies doing business in the state and generating over $1B in total global annual revenue to publicly disclose greenhouse gas emissions.
“As federal support retreats, state-level policy is becoming a key engine driving climate accountability,” Weiss said. “Operator as a platform offers the scalable precision and speed to stay ahead and keep moving sustainability goals forward while remaining compliant, auditable and transparent.”
AI-powered data ingestion is now available to all Optera Operator customers. Learn more at https://opteraclimate.com/platform/operator/.
Optera is the carbon management software for bold climate action. Built on decades of sustainability expertise, Optera helps corporations worldwide reduce their environmental impact by providing credible carbon accounting for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, actionable insights and forecasts, and tools to collaborate with supply chain and investment partners. Our clients lead many of the world’s most established and ambitious corporate sustainability programs, from Cisco and HPE to Saks and Target. Optera also partners with leading NGOs such as BSR, CDP, and the World Economic Forum to advance corporate ESG practices globally. Optera is registered as a Public Benefit Corporation in the State of Delaware.