I used the example of Petrinex in western Canada as a place that has standardized all these things. I'm with you entirely on the idea of standardization.
In a lot of energy use data, there is an evolving standard called a “green button”. It has a funny name, but it is no different from an ISO-724 or whatever kind of standard. It specifies how you report the information. It has built-in understandings that “this column means this”. Presumably if you report in yards, a factor will convert it to two decimal places, or whatever, to cubic metres.
The technology is there, the ability to have standards. It's the willingness to undertake a project like this. I will choose my words carefully. This is not the highest profile kind of...if you're going to a minister and saying that this is an exciting concept and I need $3 million to standardize the reporting of energy data across the country. Put this as the priority of things you'll be able to take home to your constituents.