Energy Management – Everything You Need to Know

We talk a lot on this blog about complex issues like green energy procurement or peak load management. Now, in this article, we’re going back to basics with the topic of energy management, plain and simple. Read on to discover what energy management is, the benefits, and how to tell if your company needs it.

Energy Management, Defined

Energy management is a term that encompasses the process of tracking and optimizing energy consumption to lower energy usage in building(s). This generally involves a circular four step process:

1. Collecting and analyzing energy and emissions data.
2. Identifying optimizations and efficiency projects to improve energy efficiency.
3. Following through with those optimizations and efficiency projects.
4. Measuring and verifying those optimizations and efficiency projects to ensure they are having the desired effect.

The Benefits of Energy Management

Engaging in energy management allows organizations, companies, and facilities to:

• Lower energy costs. Fun fact: Energy makes up 25% of the total operating costs in an office building.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This in turn makes it possible to meet company-wide sustainability goals and/or comply with government emissions requirements.

Does Your Organization Need Energy Management?

Here’s a quick cheat sheet to tell if your organization needs energy management. If you find yourself relating to any of these statements, it might be time to invest in an energy management system!

1. You see spikes in your utility bills that are hard to explain
2. You are manually keeping track your energy and/or utility bill data (e.g., getting paper or electronic bills and manually entering them into Excel or another program
3. You are having trouble keeping track of annual utility budgets and their inevitable budget variances
4. You want to make your organization more sustainable but aren’t sure where to start
5. You are having a hard time figuring out if that new HVAC system or efficient lighting is delivering a good ROI
6. Your city or state is considering passing emissions caps or reporting requirements on buildings that would make monitoring energy use a necessity

Got Questions?

Want to learn more about energy management? At EnergyWatch, we know all about it. Our energy and sustainability management software, WatchWire, can gather, organize, and analyze your energy data and measure and verify your efficiency projects and optimizations. Ask us your question(s) on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or click here to get a free demo!