5 Benefits Of Using an Energy Monitoring Software - Attune Blog

What Is Energy Monitoring Software? 

Energy monitoring software is a category of computer program that helps you track your energy usage and spending. An energy monitoring system refers to an application that provides more than one function. You might use one of these apps to track your utility bills, energy meters, and your commercial building&#;s heating and cooling and electrical systems.

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Top 5 Benefits of Using Energy Monitoring Software

Using software to monitor and oversee your energy consumption not only helps you save money but can also help your commercial buildings become greener. Here&#;s how. 

1. Real-Time Energy Consumption Insights

Monitoring your energy consumption in real time gives you an idea of how you can optimize usage. You might decide to remodel your building with green design elements to maximize natural light or heating and cooling. Real-time insights also help you identify peaks in your energy usage so you can budget for those times of the year when your consumption is highest.  

The information generated by an electricity monitoring system and other software can also clue you in when something goes wrong. For example, if you notice your cooling costs escalating, but you&#;re not in the middle of a heat wave, you know you might need to check your HVAC system. 

With a real-time energy analysis, you can catch problems in your building&#;s systems early on and fix them before they become costly. 

2. Improved Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings

The right software allows you to make your commercial buildings more energy efficient. Use a platform to identify your energy sinkholes. Find out which parts of your building are using the most energy and devise solutions to use less energy. 

Some energy software lets you program your heating, cooling, and light systems based on when each room is in use. Instead of using large heating and cooling systems throughout the building, you can install devices that control the climate in smaller areas during times at which people are actually in the area. 

For example, if you run an office building, you can control heating and cooling in conference rooms, and other common areas that aren&#;t always in use, differently than areas in which people work throughout the day.

Since many energy monitoring software apps are cloud-based, you can monitor each building on a mobile device. You don&#;t have to visit each property to take readings or look at system reports. Because you can see energy data at any time, you have a more accurate idea of how much energy you are actually using instead of having to guess based on monthly calculations.  

3. Enhanced Sustainability and ESG Compliance

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) compliance is a set of guidelines and regulations related to sustainability and emissions, among other topics. These guidelines refer to how companies disclose their efforts to be more sustainable. They were created to help business owners, developers, and others take a more proactive approach to reducing emissions. 

Energy management solutions help you improve your sustainability efforts and stay compliant with these ESG guidelines. With some platforms, you can calculate your building&#;s carbon footprint and add it to your disclosure reports. 

More importantly, any energy management solution will allow you to track your energy usage and eliminate wasteful practices. You may be able to identify building systems to run with alternative energy or flaws in your building design that are leading to energy loss. 

4. Predictive Maintenance and Fault Detection

Old or faulty HVAC systems and other building systems can waste a lot of energy. In current buildings, air conditioning makes up the bulk of energy usage, and the average office building owner spends $30,000 a year on energy.

Real-time energy monitoring helps you see fluctuations in energy usage that might signal a fault in the system. Some energy management software includes predictive maintenance and fault detection monitoring. With these tools, you can maintain your building systems to extend their useful life and optimize their energy usage for decreased energy costs.  

These platforms offer accurate fault detection alerts that give you insight into which systems may be malfunctioning. You don&#;t have to run multiple tests or fix systems through a process of trial and error. 

Some building energy monitoring software also assesses other systems, letting you detect water leaks and other faults that could be costing you money on operational costs. 

5. Data-Driven Decision Making

Energy management software also gives you the data you need to make informed decisions related to your commercial buildings. You can renovate older buildings to see energy savings. You might choose to invest in alternative energy, such as solar panels, to reduce your impact on the power grid. 

Best of all, you get tools that help you optimize energy usage without impacting your tenants. Instead of putting restrictions on a tenant&#;s heating and air conditioning use, you can install smart solutions that manage a building&#;s climate in a more energy-efficient way. 

How To Choose the Right Energy Monitoring Solution

Business energy management is a smart and cost-effective way to save money on utilities while improving your sustainability efforts. So what do you look for in energy management systems? Choose a platform with all the features you need. Opt for a cloud platform that gives you instant access to energy insights. 

Attune offers energy management solutions with real-time insights that help you improve the health and energy efficiency of your buildings. 

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Our sensors gather real-time data from the environment, working with IoT hardware to measure and analyze data. You can use the app to see insights from your sensors and monitor your buildings&#; energy use, water consumption, and air quality, among other aspects. 

This energy management system gives you the data you need to improve performance, saving you money and helping you attract tenants who are committed to sustainability. 

Get started with a demo and learn how we can help you. 

Information in this article is drawn from the Industrial Energy Accelerator, the website of a UNIDO-led network of international initiatives working to inspire global action on industrial energy efficiency.

An energy management system (EnMS) is a framework for energy consumers, including industrial, commercial and public sector organizations, to manage their energy use. It helps companies identify opportunities to adopt and improve energy-saving technologies, including those that do not necessarily require high capital investment. In most cases, the successful implementation of an EnMS requires specialized expertise and staff training. 

According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an energy management system involves developing and implementing an energy policy, setting achievable targets for energy use, and designing action plans to reach them and measure progress. This might include implementing new energy-efficient technologies, reducing energy waste or improving current processes to cut energy costs.

"Energy efficiency is the fastest, lowest cost and lowest risk approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in most organizations" - Liam McLaughlin, energy systems specialist, UNIDO

Why should an organization implement an Energy Management System?

There are now many hundreds of examples of industrial and other organizations that have significantly improved their energy performance through the implementation of an EnMS. They have succeeded in reducing energy costs; reducing other related costs; reducing their exposure to volatile energy prices and often; more importantly, in getting better control over their technical processes and improving productivity and process stability. If your organization is willing to put in the effort and commitment to implement an effective EnMS, it can help to transform many aspects of your technical processes.

What are some common misconceptions about an EnMS?

Many companies purchase software and have the impression that this is an energy management system, but it is not. The purpose is to save energy and it&#;s very common to keep forgetting this. We do need check lists, we do need processes, auditing and software, but ultimately this must all lead to energy savings. At the end of the day, an EnMS is mostly about people and management.

"The most important result that we have achieved thanks to our steady efforts to monitor and manage our energy resources has been to get all our employees thinking about energy and committing to saving it.&#; - Saad Abdel-Naby, Quality Assurance Executive Manager and Energy Manager at Al Ezz Dekheila Steel Company (EZDK), Egypt

What do you need for an effective EnMS?

Organizations that are successful in implementing EnMSs generally have a committed energy manager. Such managers are able to overcome the inevitable obstacles encountered in what is essentially a change management process. They are successful in getting support from top management and in persuading their fellow energy team members to deliver on the promise of a systematic approach to energy management. Support, leadership and commitment from the top are essential. 

How can energy management become the norm?

Education is the foundation of energy management, and will be most effective when it is a subject taught from the lowest grade at school through to the highest at university. Until then, every business or institution or workplace should, as part of induction, contribute by educating employees about efficient use of energy so that it can become part of everyone&#;s culture. Examples could be displayed; meters could be used to show the environmental and financial costs, creating first awareness and then behavioural change. Promoting this with as many people as possible is what drives the foundation of good energy management and the &#;culture of energy performance improvement&#; highlighted in ISO .

UNIDO&#;s Energy Management System (EnMS) starter kit provides an overview for leadership teams on what an EnMS is and how implementing one can bring added value to your organization. In this kit you will find insights from UNIDO&#;s global experts as well as external links to recommended references, case studies, manuals and technical guides. Download UNIDO&#;s Energy Management System starter kit here 

See: UNIDO's Practical Guide for Implementing an Energy Management System 

Are you interested in learning more about energy management software solution? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!