In today’s climate, the growing concerns of our impact on the environment have had a huge bearing on how companies operate, whilst increasing energy costs have added another element to the mix. However, the answer to businesses energy woes may lie in developing technology.
Technology is rapidly shaping our lives- not only personally but professionally. Data-driven decision making is beginning to cement itself as a business standard, with the ability to collect and analyse data becoming increasingly accessible and invaluable for organisations.
Not only is the manufacturing industry seeing huge impacts from the wave of innovation but the energy sector is being offered several software solutions that can help support the management of business operations, their associated costs and ways to monitor and reduce carbon emissions.
Such leaps in technology assistance are now driving energy efficiency up the executive agenda as many become aware of the substantial savings available. Perhaps, as all eyes now fix on how technology is evolving, the prevalent issues in energy costs and usage can be addressed with the evolution of supporting technological solutions?
For example, Building Energy Management Systems (BeMS) allow businesses to operate buildings in a more efficient way through monitoring the usage of internal settings, like heating and lighting, as environmental changes occur. For a while, BeMS was an expensive and complicated tool to utilise; however, standardisation, updates and cloud computing has allowed the software to be utilised cost-effectively by many businesses, regardless of their size.
Discussing the implementation of technology within the energy sector, Head of Origination at market-leader E.ON, Dr Chris Horne, stated: “The technology has changed- it’s now accessible to many more customers and there are new products which help to improve engagement with energy through displays that can be placed in public areas… By bringing this data into a central system, monitoring many sites, and abnormal usage patterns can be identified against other sites within a company’s portfolio or by comparison with similar sites from other companies.”
As larger businesses dread the energy triad periods, where predicted fees are set to put a large dent in expenditure during in-demand times, intelligent software can help alleviate the sting by allowing companies to be smarter about their energy usage. The triad charging system, which was implemented in the 90s, highlights the peak electricity demand period between November and February, and those who are classed as peak users will be charged energy tariffs that reflect the pressure they put on the system. It is, therefore, vital that organisations not only have a clear understanding of their own energy usages but how they compare in relation to the marketplace in order to avoid pricey bills.
Not only will such software allow you to compare your energy usage against competitors but it will permit you to see if there are any unnecessary or particularly expensive assets in your establishments that are causing higher costs and a larger eco-footprint. By easily identifying where your problem areas are, it is easy for business consultants to highlight alternative solutions and the best providers. Additionally, the software can also monitor the performance of solutions and, in some cases, fix any issues remotely to save you additional costs and time.
“BeMS act as the brains for a building and how it operates so it should be considered a fundamental and key building block in any organisation with aspirations to save energy, cut operating costs and reduce their environmental impacts by lowering carbon emissions,” according to E.ON’s Direct of Strategic Accounts, David Grundy.
If businesses want to ensure they are operating efficiently, the implementation of software will be a highly instrumental tool, as will financial business consultants who can not only identify the essential software but the best energy providers suitable to the needs of the business. If you need assistance with your energy consumption management, look no further than the experts at Expense Reduction Analysts, dedicated to helping organisations reduce their utility costs. Get in touch with us today to see how much money we can save you!
Article by: Ian Morrison