Beyond pretty graphs and toward energy management.
The world knows Smart-Meters are coming and numerous companies support acquisition and display of energy data, but data out-of-context means nothing to an energy manager.
Here is an example of consumption over time
– can you read it and see when energy is wasted ?
- No , neither can a typical householder !
So the conditions of things in a building (temperatures, valve positions and so on) can be shown, but the meaning or relevance of the data is not drawn out or obviously expressed.
Looking at the above heating data, it really isn't obvious when waste happens, but fully automated examination can highlight waste, and save energy managers time and effort :
This video simply demonstrates how in a few seconds and energy manager can provide strong evidence that heating can be switched off in a particular building at a certain outside temperature .
Certainly the reports made available need to be tailored to the level of understanding of a particular user, and given that we have many such diagnostics available; that can be fully automated (we can provide independent reliable weather data) they can extract opportunity from portfolios of buildings and highlight savings opportunity in the form of prioritised reports.
Seeing opportunity allows an energy manager (or householder) to take corrective action with appropriate support – but our industry is providing neither investigation nor support!
This makes our point - “ data out of context means nothing to an energy manager “, but we believe that use of the information (rather than mere data provision), can benefit all parties.
Corrective action depends on client circumstance; for a householder - a call to their gas company, a hotel chain might commission an expert to advise, and a far bigger concern might pass an investigation ticket down the line to their facility managers (backed by supporting evidence).
None of these actions take place with the problem undiscovered, so opportunities are “going begging” for want of a solution provider. Of greater interest is that once corrective action has been taken, from subsequent data proof-of-savings can be delivered, again automatically. Hand-in-hand with 'proof of savings' comes personal success for energy managers, lower “churn rates” for service partners and environmental benefits for all, including corporate responsibility “good-news” as a “nice-to-have”.
We have the tools to identify these and many other problems automatically through pattern recognition, before an energy manager raises a finger. We are interested in providing this functionality embedded in the web-portals of companies proving Smart-Data access.
