With various sources – not least the US Environmental Protection Agency, responsible for administering the ENERGY STAR label for energy efficiency – having suggested that the average building wastes roughly 30% of the energy it consumes due to inefficiencies, the message ought to be clear: the drive towards greater efficiency should be relentless.
Why Is Effective Energy Management in Facilities So Crucial?
When we use the term “energy management”, we are referring to the process of monitoring, controlling, and optimising how energy is used, with the aims of achieving lower costs, heightened efficiency, and minimised environmental impact.
There is a lot involved in the energy management process. Relevant personnel will find themselves analysing the patterns of energy usage at facilities for which they are responsible, as well as picking out areas of waste, and putting in place strategies to enhance energy performance.
3 Categories of Tools That Can Be Vital for Calculating Energy Efficiency
We can’t, of course, mention every single possible hardware option, software package, or methodology here that conceivably could help you calculate the efficiency of how energy is used at your premises. Or at least, if we did attempt to do so, it would be an extremely long list.
Below, though, are broad “types” of tools that facilities managers and engineers are likely to find invaluable for the calculation and optimisation of energy efficiency in their facilities:
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Energy Management Software (EMS)
If you are looking to closely monitor, analyse, and refine how a particular facility under your responsibility uses energy, a well-chosen EMS solution is likely to greatly assist you in doing so.
The “best” such system in your case will naturally depend on such factors as the size and requirements of your facilities, and how open-ended your organisation’s budget is.
Nonetheless, the highest-rated EMS platforms on the market today include such names as eSight, EnergyCAP, and SkySpark.
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Online Calculators
Yes, that’s right: even calculation tools that can be found quickly online, can be invaluable for energy management in facilities.
This is because of the fundamental role such calculators can play in assessing energy consumption at a particular facility, pinpointing areas of inefficiency, and evaluating the savings that energy efficiency measures could bring.
Whether you find yourself using a building decarbonisation calculator to evaluate potential energy savings, or perhaps turning to a BTU to kWh conversion calculator to benchmark energy usage, you will likely be thankful for these deceptively simple tools.
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Metering And Sub-Metering Hardware
You won’t be able to identify efficiencies at a given facility, unless you have the equipment that enables the accurate measurement of energy use. This, of course, is exactly what both main meters and sub-meters will enable you to accomplish.
The former term refers to the principal meters at a building that track total energy usage. Meanwhile, sub-meters are typically fitted for the monitoring of specific areas or equipment within a property. The use of both types of meters will help give you an in-depth understanding of where energy is being used at your premises.
Certainly, the presence of the right sub-metering at your site will give you access to granular data and with it, deeper insights into energy consumption by location, process, or equipment.
From there, you will be well-placed to make targeted improvements in certain areas. This may encompass such steps as upgrading equipment, adjusting operational schedules, and/or enhancing the standard of insulation.
If you would like to learn more about the moves you ought to be making to help improve energy efficiency at your facility, the steps set out in this article could make for interesting reading.
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