What is energy management software?

04 Nov.,2024

 

What is energy management software?

Energy-saving software and management solutions are more vital than ever before. Advanced technology and analytics platforms now allow companies to control and monitor usage, maximizing energy savings and reducing the negative impact on the planet.

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Measuring and planning for the consumption of energy can be difficult for businesses. If energy consumption runs too low, they may suffer productivity outages. In contrast, high energy consumption can be detrimental to a company&#;s bottom line.

The process of energy management is of the utmost importance. Having a coherent energy management system for monitoring and distributing energy makes it easier to plan out operations for the long term. 

What is energy management and why is it important?

Energy management is the use of collected metrics to plan and distribute available energy resources across a business or organization. Energy managers work to carefully consider how specific policies will affect their organization and adjust consumption targets accordingly. 

There is an increasing global need to save energy. Along with environmental benefits, energy management systems have many internal advantages for an organization. With energy management software, companies can stay ahead of energy consumption and make better decisions about how their resources are used.

How does energy management software (EMS) work?

Energy management software provides a straightforward way for organizations to track utilities and collect important metrics associated with energy use. With the right information, businesses can create sustainable practices and eliminate wasteful energy consumption patterns from their day-to-day operations.

EMS offers an energy management platform for users to collect and analyze usage data so they can compare different factors and instantly generate reports. Energy-saving software can be a huge boon to organizations of all sizes.

Collecting energy-usage data

Energy tracking and collection is the first step in taking control of energy usage. Energy Management Software is an essential tool to optimize energy usage because it collects raw data from multiple sources.

Data can be collected from a variety of energy sources, such as:

  • Natural gas
  • Coal
  • Wood
  • Propane
  • Electricity
  • Steam
  • Wastewater
  • Water
  • Chilled water
  • Fuel oil
  • Irrigation
  • Refuse and other sources

This data makes it possible to create targeted management solutions to help your operation run as smoothly as possible.

Analyzing energy-usage data

Energy data analytics provide a real-world understanding of usage that can be applied to policies for greater efficiency. Energy Management Software that collects energy-usage data associated with operations gives managers a better idea of how to distribute their assets moving forward.

EMS can conduct analyses to address utility bills, energy initiatives, energy waste, or other factors that affect operations. Analysis of energy-usage data is vital for solving complex problems within organizations.

Comparing energy-usage data

Energy optimization requires organizations to consider energy usage over time. An EMS solution allows you to compare energy consumption to specified baselines, including similar facilities. These comparisons are essential for determining which facilities are operating most efficiently and making adjustments to those that aren&#;t.

Generating cost and usage reports

Businesses rely on energy forecasting to plan for expected energy costs and adjust operations accordingly. Energy Management software makes it easy to generate cost and usage reports, providing clarity over policy outcomes and objectives.

EMS software can generate reports on important metrics, such as:

  • Energy use
  • Carbon emissions
  • Operational expenses
  • Utilities
  • Avoided costs

With this information readily available, decision-makers are better equipped to handle the ongoing pressures of energy management.

What are the benefits of using energy management software?

Energy management system software eliminates uncertainties in the production process, improving operations for stakeholders in a wide variety of industries.

This software offers an efficient solution for organizations that want to maintain an edge against the competition and experience its many energy management benefits.

Reduce energy costs

Energy asset management is the perfect solution for businesses looking to reduce energy costs. An energy management solution helps reduce a company&#;s energy costs across the board through the introduction of practices like these:

  • Improving operational efficiencies
  • Removing redundant equipment
  • Powering down at the end of the day
  • Automation of low-traffic locations

With these cost-cutting measures in place, businesses can effectively reduce their carbon footprint, resulting in more sustainable operations that aren&#;t impeded by changes in market energy prices.

Minimize waste and improve sustainability

With the increasing importance of sustainable business practices, organizations need to have strict policies for reducing waste across all operations. An EMS solution makes identifying and eliminating energy waste easier by giving decision-makers a unified platform for collecting data and improving consumption policies.

Enhance employee productivity and well-being

Energy management for productivity is essential to a happy and healthy workplace. Studies show that a comfortable work environment boosts employee productivity and well-being.

According to a study by IEEE, &#;productivity of workers increases 14% when working in a more comfortable workplace.&#; Factors such as comfortable temperatures, appropriate lighting, and automated services can make a huge difference in how much employees can get done throughout the day.

Support data-driven decision-making

EMS energy analytics gives you access to the right data when you need it. These insights provide a more accurate and efficient decision-making metric, giving leaders a better understanding of operations so they can improve internal policies and ensure they&#;re in line with expectations.

Prove and communicate success

A lack of transparency can be detrimental to an organization when attempting to demonstrate progress to outsiders. With an EMS solution in place, you can show changes in metrics over time and map out the impact of implemented policies.

EMS gives you advanced reporting features so you can quickly and effectively communicate savings, progress, and overall success to key stakeholders.

What are the elements of an effective energy management software?

It&#;s important to look for an EMS solution with features that will allow you to get the most out of your investment. Selecting just one of the many energy management solutions can be difficult, but users should consider these key elements before making their choice.

Cost breakdowns

For most organizations, energy costs are a major detriment to profitability. It is essential to have a tool for controlling costs and maximizing efficiencies. Energy monitoring software provides insights into an organization's biggest cost drivers, which helps guide cost-saving initiatives.

Reporting & benchmarking capabilities

Energy management tools must be able to address the insights hidden in large amounts of data. Quality reporting tools allow businesses to measure operational data and evaluate performance metrics. These capabilities make it easier to identify, interpret, and communicate key insights from your data.

Real-time consumption tracking

Energy usage is often difficult to track, making budgeting and adjusting to new circumstances difficult. EMS gives users specifics about their consumption habits in real time, taking the guesswork out of energy management. 

A solid EMS solution ensures your organization has the right data at the right time, allowing decision-makers to take quick, energy-efficient action when it matters most.

Energy-savings recommendations

Organizations operate at different scales, and each has its own needs. Energy efficiency software offers specialized recommendations to users, giving them insights into how to effectively address their energy use. 
If you&#;re looking for advanced energy management solutions for your business, Brightly&#;s EMS helps identify energy-saving initiatives so you can focus on what&#;s important.

Energy management tips and best practices

Organizations that want to create an energy management program that works for them should consider the long-term potential of an energy management platform.

Implementing EMS in your organization can be complicated. It&#;s especially important to consider energy management best practices when deploying your solution in the real world.

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The more data, the better

If you want to improve your energy management practices, you need to collect as much raw data as possible. Consistent data collection allows organizations to identify usage patterns and energy waste that would otherwise be impossible to detect. This is essential for streamlining your energy management capabilities.

Identify and quantify your energy-saving initiatives

Each organization has unique goals &#; and unique challenges to overcome in achieving them. EMS helps identify and track these goals by allowing you to manage large volumes of data in a single location. Quantifying your energy-saving goals will make it easier to find the best solution when making hard choices.

Track your progress

When creating an energy management policy, organizations should make sure to keep track of their ongoing progress. Tracking energy-saving initiatives allows you to make needed adjustments along the way, making it easier to identify key insights and demonstrate successes.

It&#;s an ongoing process

Energy management is an ongoing process that takes time and effort. Identifying new energy savings and planning accordingly is only possible with a clear vision of the future. With EMS, you can seamlessly integrate each of these steps into your plan of action, allowing you to implement the best solutions as company-wide policies.

How can I implement energy management software within my organization?

For most organizations, having a solid EMS solution is a no-brainer. With Brightly as a partner, you&#;ll have all you need to identify and eliminate energy waste.

The ease of getting started makes Brightly a perfect option for your business, no matter what stage of growth you&#;re in. Our energy monitoring dashboard provides a simple and convenient way to track and manage energy-related metrics. With Brightly, you&#;ll have an energy management platform that meets the demands of today without breaking the bank.

Schedule your free custom demo today!

Energy Management System: Definition & How It Works

In recent times, the price of energy and utilities has risen for businesses and consumers around the world. Last year for example, interruptions to gas supplies due to the war in Ukraine caused costs to sky-rocket globally, and though prices are beginning to drop again, organizations are becoming increasingly awake to the need to manage their energy.

In this blog, we will explain everything you need to know about an energy management system, common features, and how it can benefit your organization.

What is an Energy Management System?

An energy management system (EMS) is a software-based system designed to monitor, control, and optimize energy usage in various types of facilities. It is used to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy costs, and minimize environmental impact.

Why should an organization implement an energy management system?

Energy management is a strategic issue &#; it contributes to a number of key business goals that affect performance and influence stakeholder expectations. Below we explore some of the more compelling reasons as to why an energy management software system is instrumental in meeting these goals.

Visibility &#; With an energy management system, you can gain full visibility and deep insight into how energy is used across your business, as well as identify trends and anomalies, allowing you to respond and stay in control.

Insight &#; With full visibility, and purpose built dashboards, you can use this insight to drive change. Equipped with up-to-the minute consumption data, you can inspire and inform colleagues, as well as highlight areas where efficiencies can be built in.

Efficiency &#; With the insights provided by your energy management system, you can identify areas of low efficiency, and achieve key energy saving targets through reduced consumption and smarter energy usage.

Cost effectiveness &#; By lowering energy consumption, you can mitigate the soaring energy rates and strengthen your organization&#;s financial stability.

Revenue assurance &#; With a 360 degree overview of energy usage and cost, you can drive revenue assurance, and have full awareness of your organization&#;s energy-related overheads.

Work towards net zero &#; an energy management system aids in the identification of areas of high energy usage, and provides data that can help to highlight areas where more sustainable practices can be implemented. This all helps towards reducing carbon and emissions, and meeting the US government&#;s target of net zero by .

Compliance &#; with an EMS, you can ensure that your business is meeting green lease clauses, complying with legislation, and meeting other regulatory obligations.

Reduce operational costs &#; with full overview and insights delivered via purpose-built dashboards, you can identify problems and anomalies before they become costly faults. You can also see where consumption is highest across your portfolio, and work to reduce the operational costs.

What are the most common mistakes that organizations make when investing in an energy management system?

For some organizations, the implementation of a specialist energy management software solution is often a tick in the box exercise in a drive to improve its energy management practices. However, without clear goals and objectives as well as full commitment at a senior level and dedicated resources in place, optimization will not take place. Below we explore some of the key mistakes that are often made.

  • Misunderstanding the purpose of the system &#; a common mistake made by organizations investing in software is a failure to understand that the system is there to provide insight, it will not save your company energy simply by being implemented. To get the most from an EMS, you should develop a strategy around it, using the data provided by the system to create a roadmap for your business.
  • Lack of commitment from the top &#; changing your organization&#;s approach to energy usage is likely to require major adjustments to operations, and investment from upper management in terms of cost and resource. To see the benefits of effective energy management, commitment from the top and the appointment of dedicated staff to coordinate the energy related agenda across portfolios is required.
  • Insufficient focus on capturing granular data &#; the minutiae of your organization&#;s energy usage is just as important as the headline figures. High impact, low-cost changes can be identified when data is gathered and analyzed not only across infrastructures, but on an appliance level too.
  • Lack of proactivity in policy-making &#; real change can only occur when energy efficient practice is written into company policy, and all colleagues are given training into the company&#;s approach. It&#;s important to ensure that energy management strategies are adopted by, and enveloped into the company culture.
  • Lack of strategic direction &#;measuring benchmarks, setting targets, and putting in place data-driven initiatives to meet those targets is vital in driving change. It&#;s important to be clear around targets for reducing energy, carbon, and spend, as well as building robust and informed strategies to meet them.

What do you need for an effective energy management system?

There is a variety of energy management products on offer, and it&#;s important to find a solution that works for your business and team. It is also important to consider the following features and tools to ensure your solution delivers on important factors.

Data collection

One of the most important functions of an EMS, data collection should include centralizing all your energy-related data in an easily accessible format. Your EMS should be able to store data from any source, system, or format, to ensure your appliances and systems can be properly measured for usage. In addition, it&#;s important that storage is secure, to ensure data is protected, accurate, and trustworthy.

Sustainability management

Vital for reporting against sustainability targets, a good EMS will have strong functionality in terms of sustainability management. This means that it includes comprehensive carbon reporting, which can be leveraged with various stakeholders, as well as functionality to track progress against targets and ESG initiatives. For Greenhouse Gas reporting, a good EMS will be able to automate and simplify this to improve efficiency and reduce the need for staff time and resource.

Anomaly detection

An important feature for ensuring equipment and appliances are operating properly, as well as reducing data errors, anomaly detection should include the ability to receive and generate automatic alerts when an anomaly is detected, as well as creating alerts and actions when usage data is outside of tolerated levels.

Utility bill management

The ability to analyze energy usage in terms of costs and tariffs, as well as create and monitor budgets, is an essential tool, as well as the ability to compare and verify bill values against collected meter data to ensure accurate billing.

Energy analysis and dashboards

For essential energy analysis, it&#;s important to choose an EMS that allows access to a unified view of business metrics, offering customizable dashboards. This will allow you to identify savings and drive accountability, as well as gain insights into energy usage across your portfolio and make informed, data driven decisions around building sustainability.

Regulatory compliance

As climate action gathers pace, it&#;s important to ensure that your EMS helps you to make strides towards your ESG objectives, and ensure compliance against industry legislation including net-zero, ISO standards, and more.

Tenant billing

An EMS should also simplify and optimize tenant billing, through automatic billing for utility usage, as well as invoice validation against real energy usage data.

The benefits of an energy management system to different company functions

Energy management is an organization-wide strategy that impacts various teams and functions. A centralized software solution will be used across the business and provide different benefits to each team as follows:

Energy managers

  • Offers full visibility and control of energy-related data and consumption costs across the organization/portfolios.
  • Allows energy managers to keep pace with ever-changing regulations and reporting requirements.
  • Provides comprehensive documentation on all energy information, including the range of meters across a portfolio, the different utilities used, etc..
  • Offers the ability to proactively manage energy costs and meet management expectations.

Production

  • Drives down operational costs.
  • Sets and measures against objectives.
  • Allows the deployment of instructions/directions across broad portfolios.
  • Reduces the need for technical meetings.
  • Increases profitability of assets.
  • Offers spend tracking and ROI projection.

Information systems

  • Improves data and system security.
  • Provides an improved overview of new standards including ISO, GDPR, and new legislation.
  • Future proofs technologies and supplier technologies across the business.

How MRI Software can help you manage your energy consumption

At MRI Software, we&#;re passionate about helping you leverage technology to drive greater operational efficiencies. Specialist energy management software is becoming more and more instrumental in enabling organizations to mitigate energy rates, reduce waste, and comply with legislation.

With over 30,000 users across more than 260,000 buildings using our energy management software,

contact us today to find out more about how our solution can enable you to gain total visibility and take full control over your energy consumption.

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