What Is An Energy Management System?

Energy managment systems are used by both the public and private sectors to monitor and control consumption. The end goal is to conserve energy use due to financial and environmental reasons. They involve a complex network of equipments connected to the HVAC, lighting, and other contributors to the electrical load. These equipments are employed for the following processes:

Information Gathering

The first step towards any meaningful change is to quantify the current situation. Meters will be placed at strategic spots to measure consumption in various areas. The data will be collected continuously every single day.

Data Analysis

The numbers will not mean much if they aren’t put into context. Experts will need to analyze the data collected from the meters to get an overall picture of the energy situation. They might use different graphs to make it easier to interpret the information they have on their hands. Their goal is to find opportunities for improvement and suggest ways to boost efficiency.

Project Implementation

This is the part in which the suggested actions are considered and implemented. These will be ranked according to priority after a cost-benefit analysis and other pertinent tools. An example would be the replacement of old machines with modern alternatives that can perform the same functions while consuming a fraction of the energy. Insulation may also be upgraded to reduce unwanted heat transfer at vulnerable locations. Behavioral changes may be made as well including diligent HVAC control.

Progress Tracking

Things do not end once the projects are completed. The effectiveness of these schemes will have to be measured to see if they were implemented correctly and if things need to be modified to achieve better results. The building consumption will continue to be tracked to check for progress. The data collected before and after each project will have to be compared for evaluation. In order to get a good idea of their individual impact, these projects should not be done all at once. They should rather be implemented in sequence with enough time in between.

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