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Sustainability

5 Benefits of Energy Monitoring

Whether you’re working to improve your ESG performance, reduce energy costs, or help the environment, monitoring your energy usage is an important step that cannot be missed. Why? Because it turns energy-saving efforts into a data-driven strategy. And with data, you can better understand the impact you’re having.

Wasted energy costs businesses, not just financially but also in terms of meeting environmental legislation. Reduced energy consumption makes sense on all levels, and the benefits are extensive:

Identify Waste

According to the Carbon Trust, around 20% of all business annual energy costs are wasted through the use of inefficient equipment. With an energy monitoring system, a business can monitor all aspects of its facility, from core equipment, to HVAC systems, and lighting. So, if there are any areas that are consuming energy when they shouldn’t, these areas can be targeted. 

Measure Results

By using real-time energy data and software, Energy Managers can proactively measure spikes in consumption, reduce base loads, evaluate peak hours, identify irregularities, optimise operational scheduling, and track energy saving targets and goals more accurately. Having greater control over your consumption means your business will be more energy resilient.

Improve Facility Performance

Energy monitoring is more effective when conducted in real-time. With effective energy monitoring, businesses can continuously monitor aspects of their facility, from HVAC systems to lighting. For instance, when an asset breaks down, notifications can rectify the situation before excessive amounts of energy are wasted, or production targets are put at risk, ensuring facilities are always operating at maximum efficiency.

See Significant Savings

Businesses that are proactive in monitoring energy usage and resolving anomalies that cause waste will be able to save energy and reduce energy bills. An effective energy monitoring system can also show you how much energy you’re using, the cost of this, and the level of your greenhouse gas emissions too.

Improve Employee Awareness

Having real-time energy data raises energy usage and consumption awareness. It could also improve employee engagement in corporate sustainability targets by encouraging employees to cut back on their consumption and costs. We’ve already created some resources on Sustainability Teams, check out our infographics: 5 Reasons to Start a Sustainability Team and How to Develop a Sustainability Team.

Real Life Example

A historic food manufacturer benefited from all five of the above examples after approaching Businesswise Solutions to assist them in reducing their energy consumption and improving the efficiency of their sites. 

As part of our Energy Management as a Service (EMaaS) solution, sensors were installed on site, which identified issues with the operating procedure. One line included the ovens, a conveyor system, ambient chill, and blast chill. All of these systems were starting up at the same time, but by delaying the start up until it was needed, our Energy Managers could measure the results – and discovered that the system became significantly more efficient as a result.

The data collected from the sensors, also highlighted that the AHUs were not being turned off properly before washdown. The washdown stream was blocking the filters on the ventilation system, causing failure and inefficient operation. With this insight the manufacturer was able to inform employees, correct the process, and further improve efficiency.

By installing sensors and monitoring the data collected, our Energy Managers were able to correct numerous operational inaccuracies, improving the overall facility performance. 

Through energy monitoring, this manufacturer saved £150,000 over three years. A significant saving on their bottom line. To date, this equates to a reduction of over 1,000,000kWh and the removal of 250 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, moving them one step closer to a Net Zero future.

If you want your business to become more efficient, more sustainable, and more profitable, then EMaaS could be the ideal solution.

  • Author: Sophie Parrington, Marketing Assistant

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