Introduction
Have you ever wondered about your energy consumption? Why is it so high? Why am I paying what I am paying? How do I reduce my energy consumption? What impact does my energy consumption have on the world around me? These, and many more, are all questions you have asked if you are the one paying the bills and worrying about reducing costs. As we continue to progress and develop more technologies to make our lives better and more efficient, energy needs and more importantly costs, will continue to rise. Many companies do not have the time or resources to address these issues. The reality is, energy has high costs associated with it, but you need to consume energy, there is no way around it. To add to the confusion, many people are trying to sell you some device or system that fixes whatever energy problems they have determined you have. Which of your options are the most productive and useful for your facility, with the best ROI, ranging from an LED lighting retrofit to a Solar System installation, knowing where to start can be a daunting, if not impossible task to take on.
Energy Managers…
Energy Costs for organizations can get extremely high. Without management, your energy costs will continue to rise in the future , and become a mess. From mechanical failures, to outdated hardware, there are a vast amount of potential variables that can cause your energy costs to rise, and quickly. The benefit of having one person dedicated to managing these costs, and addressing issues and creating solutions, is invaluable.
Imagine, you have several air handlers and chillers in your facility. These devices use a high amount of energy to function. Let’s add to this, and also say you have an outdated lighting system. Now, without an energy manager, and just looking at the surface of your energy consumption and your monthly bills, you may be tempted to say an LED retrofit would be the best thing to do right now to reduce your monthly bill. How do you know this? What about the power factor in your building? What equipment is kicking on the most, and at what times? Are all of the pieces of equipment kicking on at the same time? Creating an unnecessary demand charge? Not having an expert around to do quantify these measures, and to dedicate themselves to the understanding of the solutions, could be a costly mistake…
Virtual Energy Managers
A Virtual Energy Manager is an expert in energy management and data analysis. Thanks to technology, remotely located Virtual Energy Managers are a reality, and prudent. Utilizing Vitality software, a Virtual Energy Manager can assess energy data at your facility, and identify Energy Conservation Measures for your facility, and your budget.
A Virtual Energy Manager can complement and enhance an existing Energy Manager, or a Virtual Energy Manager can take all of the responsibilities of a traditional Energy Manager, by working in tandem with your facilities manager or operations personnel.
A great example in understanding the need to manage your energy consumption, The University of Cambridge, has a “Green” challenge, where they are educating student and staff in the conservation of energy. From their website, you can see one of their goals, “Identifying the roles and responsibilities of all staff in relation to the Environmental Management System, and developing effective methods to record and store relevant communications relating to the Environmental Management System”. Energy management is essential.
You can download the official White Paper for free here.
