You can't ignore the pressing energy issue these days. Europe is in the grip of high energy prices and a necessary energy transition must be made. But reducing energy consumption is difficult in some cases. And for entrepreneurs this is even more complicated than for private individuals.
Because there are many questions among building managers, installers and users, we have listed a number of frequently asked questions about energy monitoring in this blog. You will read why it is important to measure energy consumption, which options are available and which energy-saving measures you as an entrepreneur could take. Readers ready? Let's save!
Frequently asked questions about monitoring and reducing energy consumption
1. Why would I want to measure energy consumption?
Saving energy for an entrepreneur, in whatever form, starts with gaining insight into energy consumption. Of course, you can save by turning the thermostat down one degree. Or asking your employees to wear thick sweaters when they come to the office.
But constructive savings start with gaining insight into all energy consumers, such as devices, in your building. Whether this is a factory, office building or warehouse. Because you know exactly how much energy a device uses, you can take good energy-saving measures.
2. How do you measure the energy consumption of appliances?
To know how much energy a device uses, you connect a sensor to the device. For example, you can Smart Energy plug between the appliance and the socket. This energy meter measures the power consumption of the appliance.
But you can also use a pulse sensorThis sensor transmits pulses from gas, water, energy and heat meters, allowing you to easily read the meters.
These energy meters and sensors work via a (private) IoT network. More information about this can be found in the answer to the question below.
3. What options are there to gain insight into my energy consumption?
In the field of energy monitoring, a lot is already technically possible. Also in a simple way. In order to properly map out your possibilities to reduce energy consumption as an entrepreneur, we will briefly explain a number of these techniques. In broad terms, there are two different scenarios:
A. I have a building management system
Are you already using a building management system (BMS)? And have a number of your 'energy consumers' already been mapped, but not all of them? Then you can easily install a Private LoRa network. Here you connect wireless LoRa sensors that are directly connected to your smart meter. Or are placed 'freely' in your building.
These sensors transmit the specific consumption of your building, equipment and/or space to the private LoRa gateway. This device then delivers the data from the sensors in the correct language (protocol) to the BMS. This way you have much more insight into your BMS dashboard and you can draw up a more targeted savings plan.
Because the sensors are wireless and battery powered, you don’t need to install a wired infrastructure to monitor energy consumption. The long life of the sensor batteries also makes the solution very sustainable.
B. I do not have a building management system or IoT data analytics platform
Don't have a BMS and/or data platform in use? Even then you can easily install a Private LoRa network. The sensor data from your smart meter or other wireless sensors is placed in a data analysis platform (dashboard) via a private LoRa gateway.
In this dashboard you can then read and analyze all data at a glance. But you can also set alarms if certain limit values are exceeded. In this way you can also create a targeted energy saving plan. This dashboard is available via our partner BlockBax.
4. What are examples of energy-saving measures?
By having insight into your entire business operations, you can use these insights to map out your potential energy savings. This can be done on a small or large scale.
For example, with a Smart Energy plug you can turn off devices remotely when you are not using them. And turn them on again when necessary. Or you can replace energy guzzlers with a more economical variant.
But you can also choose to tackle it even bigger. For example, by optimizing the indoor climate in your building. Air conditioning is then more closely tuned and only switches on when the temperature exceeds a preset threshold. And sun blinds are automatically activated when a room becomes too bright. This reduces the temperature rise in the building.
Are you a building manager of a building with multiple tenants? Then submetering might be a good idea. This allows you to set up monthly invoicing so that tenants pay for their own actual consumption. The 'polluter pays' principle. The more energy and water the tenant uses, the higher the monthly rent. This also creates an incentive for the tenant to be more economical with their energy and water consumption.
5. Where can I find more information about smart energy solutions?
Our experts have focused on Smart Energy and options to reduce energy consumption in various webinars and TechTalks.
- More information about our LoRa-2-GBS gateway can be found here here and in this TechTalk.
- More information about LoRa-2-Energy and LoRa sensors can be found in this TechTalk.
- More information about Smart Energy and use cases can be found in this webinar.
Smart energy use is worth it
Smart Energy solutions are not very expensive and easy to implement. This means that the costs certainly outweigh the savings you achieve with them. Not only because of the high prices we currently pay for energy, but also for the structural change that is needed to make our environment more sustainable. Reducing your energy consumption is not only good for your wallet, but also for the climate.
It is therefore very worthwhile to make your already smart building even smarter, specifically for energy-saving insights. And it is even more worthwhile to make your not-so-smart building smart and sustainable with these Smart Energy applications.
Technology is often a solution to complex problems and challenges. Use it wisely! Get well informed about which proven solutions are available to realize your goals for sustainability and/or energy saving.
Do you have any questions or would you like to explore the possibilities for your organization? Our sales department is happy to help you with your questions and applications.
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