- Graham Perry
- September 6, 2024
Don’t wander in the dark trying to reduce energy consumption for your business.
Shine a light on your energy management with analytics to:
- identify inefficiencies
- predict consumption patterns
- develop effective energy saving strategies
One simple adjustment can save you thousands of pounds and significantly reduce your carbon footprint. You just need to know which area of your building or which device needs this adjustment.
The Most Effective Approach to Saving Energy for Your Business
Research based on case studies shows that businesses that introduce advanced analytics and submetering can reduce their energy consumption by even 36%.
In fact, one of our clients has saved £180,000 in one year by optimising their energy usage in commercial buildings using only the existing infrastructure and data. -> Read more
(Not to mention their reporting time cut by 90% 😉)
Let’s dive into how you can use advanced analytics to save energy for your business without breaking the bank.
Getting Granular on Your Energy Data – Submetering Energy at a Device Level
You are probably able to access the half-hour data from your energy supplier, but very often they only offer readings for the entire building, which is not nearly enough to identify areas of energy inefficiency and take energy saving actions. To really get a handle on your energy usage, you need to dig deeper—right down to the device level.
Imagine being able to see exactly how much energy your lighting, HVACs, office equipment, and even that ancient vending machine in the corner are guzzling. That’s the level of detail you need to really spot anomalies, predict consumption patterns, and craft killer optimisation strategies.
Now, you might be thinking, “Hang on, we’ve got some submetering systems already.” That’s a cracking start, but here’s the thing:
1) Getting granular data from legacy systems can be trickier than trying to nail jelly to the wall.
2) Once you manage to collect that data, you need advanced tools and specialised data expertise to transform these numbers into analytics that will provide actionable insights.
So, the foundation of your energy reduction strategy should be getting a granular understanding of energy usage within your buildings. Once you’ve got that sorted, you’re ready for the next step.
Analytics in Action
Improving energy use in hundreds of commercial buildings
The Role of Analytics in Saving Energy for Your Business
Now that you’ve collected and transformed that granular energy data, it’s time to put it to work. This is where analytics comes in, turning raw–data into energy-saving gold. Let’s break it down:
Identify Energy Inefficiencies
Analytics can help you spot wasted energy culprits faster than you can say “kilowatt-hour”. By analysing patterns and searching foranomalies in your data, you can identify equipment that’s using more energy than it should, or processes that could be streamlined for better efficiency. And with proactive notifications it doesn’t need to be a life glued to dashboards
- Example 1: You might discover that your HVAC system is consuming more energy than necessary during off-peak hours, and take action to optimise it
- Example 2: You might discover that one of the refrigerators consumes more energy than others, thus needs maintenance that will bring the energy usage back to normal
Predict Energy Consumption Patterns
With the power of predictive analytics, you can forecast future energy usage based on historical data and external factors like weather patterns or production schedules. This foresight allows you to plan ahead, optimising your energy use during peak times and potentially negotiating better rates with your energy provider.
It’s like having a crystal ball (that actually works) for your energy consumption.
Develop Energy Optimisation Strategies
Armed with insights from your data analysis, you can develop targeted strategies to save energy for your business.
This might involve adjusting HVAC schedules, upgrading inefficient equipment, or implementing automated controls. Analytics helps you prioritise these initiatives based on their potential impact, ensuring you create the biggest possible impact with the least effort.
Example of Datore’s energy optimisation dashboard
5 Tactics to Reduce Energy Consumption for Your Business
Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. Here are five tactics that, when combined, can significantly reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint without breaking the bank.
1. Energy Data Captured Using Existing Infrastructure
Don’t let your current systems go to waste. Leverage your existing infrastructure to capture energy data. This could involve integrating data from your building management system, smart meters, IoT sensors or even legacy systems we talked about earlier. It’s about making the most of what you’ve already got.
2. Energy Measured in the Most Strategic Areas with Customised Data Points
Be strategic with your data collection. Focus your efforts where they’ll have the most impact. Whether it’s monitoring the energy use of a specific production line, or an entire office floor; install submeters on your most energy-intensive equipment or in areas where you suspect inefficiencies.
3. Adjustable Time Frames for a Better Overview of Your Energy Consumption
Different energy-saving opportunities reveal themselves over different time frames. You need a solution that will allow you to zoom in on minute-by-minute data or zoom out to look at monthly or yearly trends. This flexibility helps you spot both immediate issues and long-term patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.
4. Proactive Notifications
Set up alerts that notify you when energy usage exceeds predefined thresholds. Proactive notifications allow you to address issues in real-time, preventing initially small problems from blowing up your energy bill.
5. Process Automation for Energy Use Optimisation
Use analytics to automate processes that would save energy for your business. This could involve automatically adjusting lighting or HVAC based on occupancy data, or shutting down non-essential equipment during off-hours. Automation ensures your energy-saving efforts are consistent and don’t rely on manual intervention.
How Analytics as a Service Can Save Energy for Your Business?
Datore’s Analytics as a Service provides the people, technology and methodology to help you collect raw data from your systems and turn it into actionable insights that will save your business energy.
With AaaS, you can benefit from advanced analytics without the need for in-house data experts or investing in expensive technology.
We do all the stuff we talked about in this article and more! And the results speak for themselves – see how we saved a leading UK retailer £180,000 in one year by optimising their energy (+ we cut their reporting time by 90% btw)
Analytics in Action
Improving energy use in hundreds of commercial buildings
Conclusion The Most Effective Approach to Saving Energy for Your Business
Saving energy for your business is not about implementing one big change, but rather a combination of tactics that work together to reduce your energy usage. With the right approach to data collection and analysis, you can uncover significant and low-effort opportunities for energy efficiency.
Advanced analytics provides the toolkit you need to understand your energy consumption at a granular level, predict future trends, and develop targeted strategies for reduction.
So, don't wander in the dark, shine a light on your energy management with Analytics as a Service!
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