One thing many of us are becoming increasingly conscious of is the energy we are consuming because of the rising energy costs. For many businesses, rising energy costs are having a big impact on the bottom line and driving price increases on products and services they deliver. So many businesses are keen to get a greater handle on these costs and reduce the amount of energy they consume.
One of the ways businesses can manage their energy consumption more effectively is to introduce an Energy Management System (EMS) to help monitor and optimise their energy use.
What is an Energy Management System?
Energy Management Systems combine software and hardware that help you to manage your energy by monitoring the energy you use, controlling some of your energy appliances and optimising your energy.
The EMS can help you track how energy is used in your buildings by incorporating sensors and meters, so you can collect better information on how energy is used. It can aid you in managing your gas, electricity and water, and compile all your consumption information in real-time in one single system. This can aid you in spotting any issues in your building and alert you to take action.
You can also add smart controls into your EMS to help you control the energy consumption of systems and appliances such as motion-controlled lighting, HVAC settings and equipment scheduling to achieve optimal energy savings.
The EMS analyses the data collected by the sensors and meters so that you can see where energy is being used, display consumption trends, and help you identify areas where savings could be made.
How can solar PV panels and Energy Management Systems work together?
The EMS can be integrated with your solar PV system so that it can monitor the electricity that is generated from the solar panels, and it can show how electricity is being consumed at the same time. This enables you to see if you are maximising the energy generated from your solar PV system.
It can also manage the energy stored if you have incorporated battery storage into your solar PV system. This will allow you to manage when you use the electricity that you generate from the solar panels, which could be to reduce your peak demand or charge electric vehicles at a convenient time.
The EMS would also give you historic data, allowing you to monitor your solar generation over time so you can see how your solar panels are performing.
Is it right for my business?
If you need help in monitoring your energy consumption but don’t have the resources to dedicate someone to undertake the role of managing energy efficiency and monitoring, then an EMS is a great way of doing it automatically. There is upfront investment, but the cost could be recouped from the savings you can make on your energy bills.
