Monitoring and reporting energy use

A monitoring and reporting system is the energy manager’s main tool, but it is not an energy management programme in itself.

Energy monitoring and reporting systems can range from simple spreadsheets using energy bills as data, to complex multi-site computer systems, depending on the scale of your organisation’s energy use. The system can incorporate resource and waste management programmes, or quality assurance and maintenance planning.

Monitoring

Installing check meters through your operation will give you valuable insight into where your energy is being used, so you can target inefficient areas. Meters also help you track product component costs.

Keep the energy used by each group or division separate through energy cost centers. You can produce graphs showing the energy used hour by hour, day by day, by different parts of the business.

Create Energy Accountable Centres (EACs)

Set up EACs in your business with work groups that reflect responsibility for energy use. Costs can then be allocated to specific areas, services or products to determine accountability and to calculate the energy use index (EUI). Use EUIs to benchmark performance against other organisations in the same sector.

Set up metering for each EAC

This can be one of the most expensive parts of the project. Setting the number of sub-meters involves considering their cost against the energy cost.

Install recording mechanisms that are right for your business

This can vary from a form on a clip-board to an online data logger. List what you need - like reporting periods, production variables and meters required – then choose a system that fits your budget. Your energy supplier can advise you on this.

Monitor and analyse energy data

Use whatever tools you need to turn your data into useful information, such as regression analysis, degree-days or production normalising.

Benchmark studies

These can be internal, as time-based comparisons, or external, as performance benchmarks. Many industrial sectors have associations that can supply EUI information, which is a good starting point for target setting.

Reporting

You need to identify who needs to regularly see energy reports. Usually, only people with significant control or accountability for energy use need them. Tailor the format of your reports to the people who will read them. For example, an accountant may require a monthly spreadsheet, but a project manager may prefer a weekly graph report.

Some people will need exact numbers and others may only need a general trend.
Energy reporting needs to be seen as part of the organisation’s ‘business as usual’ reporting.