What is Energy Management Software?

Introduction

Energy management software (EMS) monitors and reports energy system utilization, reducing energy costs for companies. The platform includes features such as sustainability and carbon reporting, HVAC systems controls, energy data analytics, and real-time energy use tracking. It offers functions that improve energy utilization to minimize carbon emissions and promote efficient consumption.

Organizations can use an EMS to decrease energy consumption expenses, assess energy use, minimize carbon emissions via intelligent energy distribution, and maintain a single truth source for all energy consumption-related data. The platform helps to lower operational costs, facilitates regulatory compliance, and enhances efficiency.

Energy management software has common features with sustainability management tools. Both applications can be used in tandem and integrated with IoT-linked sensors that track energy use in real time. EMS monitors energy consumption from several sources and actively engages with energy-consuming platforms by changing energy use. It generates auditable energy usage reports and offers data analytics features to digest information related to energy consumption.

Features of Energy Management Software

The below listed features are most common and function together to capture, produce, and analyze usable information to assist facilities managers to make informed energy management decisions:

Usage Benchmarking

Assists facilities managers to compare their enterprise’s energy efficiency to a benchmark, like Energy Star scores.

Energy Dashboard

Clearly shows key performance indicators (KPIs) like emissions, consumption, and costs for multiple facilities or a single location. It also displays energy KPIs for selected individual properties.

Reporting

Collects data in a usable format to identify energy-wasting assets or inefficient locations. You can factor in outside influences on energy use, like weather, to pinpoint anomalies.

Bill Tracking

Enterprises should monitor energy bills to ensure their payments are in tune with actual consumption. They should analyze energy bill information to identify trends in the prices of various energy sources.

Data Importing and Gathering

An EMS can capture and store energy usage and billing data from different sources like directly from sensors or meters, the utility firm, or an existing facility automation system.

Benefits of Energy Management Software

Operational Reliability

EMS helps to control the energy consumption of specific applications like manufacturing lines, data centers, and HVAC. The software offers the advantages of increased operational reliability and better energy management.

Energy Allocation

EMS can be leveraged to help the submeters delegate certain energy loads to specific facility areas in real time. This permits operators to make the needed load alterations based on real-time data.

Energy Information Reporting

EMS’s reporting function can be utilized to deliver precise energy use and expenditure information for large enterprises. The platform offers detailed energy data including the impact of external factors such as weather on the facility. The information is then accumulated and can be leveraged to balance energy expenditure with savings. This helps to improve data collection and reduce costs.

Data Collection

EMS can be utilized to produce an energy database for an organization. You can manually feed energy utility bills into the application and afterwards the database can be set to pay the bills online on time. This provides a precise repository of energy usage, and eliminates late fees and billing mistakes.

Boosts ROI

EMS offers cost-saving capabilities such as assisting you to spot energy leaks, revenue-producing programs, and emitting reduced power during peak hours. These functions enable companies to boost their return on investing in the EMS.

Enhances Facility Performance

EMS helps to boost building performance and reduces operating costs and energy waste. You can use the saved money in other business areas like product spends, salaries, promotions, marketing etc.

Improves Employee Well-being

EMS helps to provide a comfortable work environment to staff which can boost their overall well-being as well as productivity. Temperature control and consistent lighting produce an energy-efficient workplace, which can increase the workforce’s performance and happiness.

Decreases Expenses

With an EMS, your business can significantly lower utility expenses, including water, lighting, cooling, and heating. The software monitors detailed energy consumption over time and stores the data in a centralized database, giving you anytime access to your facility’s historical energy information. This can assist you to budget more effectively for energy consumption based on weather, time of year, etc.