Energy Consumption Monitoring
Facility-level energy tracking by source, efficiency improvement identification, renewable energy management, and energy cost optimization
Why This Matters
What It Is
Facility-level energy tracking by source, efficiency improvement identification, renewable energy management, and energy cost optimization
Current State vs Future State Comparison
Current State
(Traditional)Energy consumption is tracked manually through monthly utility bills showing total electricity, natural gas, and other fuel usage. Energy data is compiled in spreadsheets and compared year-over-year for sustainability reporting. Energy efficiency projects are identified through infrequent facility audits (every 3-5 years) by external consultants. Renewable energy generation (solar, wind) is monitored separately through inverter dashboards with manual data export. No real-time visibility into energy consumption patterns or peak demand drivers. Energy cost optimization relies on negotiating utility rates rather than consumption management. Difficult to benchmark energy intensity across facilities or identify best practices.
Characteristics
- • Excel
- • ERP Systems (SAP, Oracle)
- • Access/SQL Databases
- • PDF Readers
- • Legacy BMS/SCADA
Pain Points
- ⚠ Data Silos: Energy data is scattered across multiple systems and formats, complicating integration.
- ⚠ Manual Effort: High reliance on manual data entry leads to errors and inefficiencies.
- ⚠ Lack of Real-Time Visibility: Delayed data prevents timely decision-making.
- ⚠ Inconsistent Data Quality: Manual processes increase the risk of errors.
- ⚠ Limited Scalability: Manual workflows do not scale well with increasing data volume.
- ⚠ Poor Integration: Legacy systems often lack APIs for seamless data exchange.
- ⚠ Compliance Risks: Manual processes make it harder to ensure regulatory compliance.
Future State
(Agentic)An orchestrator agent coordinates comprehensive energy management across facilities. Consumption agents collect real-time energy data from utility meters, sub-meters, and building management systems showing usage by source (electricity, gas) and area (production, refrigeration, lighting, HVAC). Analytics agents identify consumption patterns, detect anomalies indicating equipment inefficiency, and benchmark facilities. Peak demand agents monitor real-time demand, predict peak periods, and recommend load shifting to reduce demand charges. Renewable energy agents track solar/wind generation, optimize usage vs. grid export, and calculate renewable percentage of total consumption. Efficiency agents identify improvement opportunities (equipment upgrades, schedule optimization, setpoint changes) with ROI calculations. Cost optimization agents analyze time-of-use rates and recommend consumption shifting to lower-cost periods.
Characteristics
- • Utility meters and smart meter data (electricity, natural gas)
- • Sub-metering data by equipment or area
- • Building management system (BMS) data
- • Production schedules and equipment run times
- • Solar and wind generation data from inverters
- • Utility rate structures (time-of-use, demand charges)
- • Historical energy consumption and weather data
Benefits
- ✓ Real-time energy monitoring enables immediate response to inefficiencies vs. monthly retrospective analysis
- ✓ Peak demand management reduces demand charges by 15-25% through load shifting
- ✓ Automated anomaly detection identifies equipment issues weeks earlier than utility bill reviews
- ✓ Renewable energy optimization increases on-site consumption by 20-30% vs. grid export
- ✓ Continuous efficiency identification finds 10-15% additional energy savings vs. periodic audits
Is This Right for You?
This score is based on general applicability (industry fit, implementation complexity, and ROI potential). Use the Preferences button above to set your industry, role, and company profile for personalized matching.
Why this score:
- • Applicable across multiple industries
- • Moderate expected business value
- • Time to value: 1-2
- • (Score based on general applicability - set preferences for personalized matching)
You might benefit from Energy Consumption Monitoring if:
- You're experiencing: Data Silos: Energy data is scattered across multiple systems and formats, complicating integration.
- You're experiencing: Manual Effort: High reliance on manual data entry leads to errors and inefficiencies.
- You're experiencing: Lack of Real-Time Visibility: Delayed data prevents timely decision-making.
This may not be right for you if:
- Requires human oversight for critical decision points - not fully autonomous
Parent Capability
Carbon footprint tracking, sustainable sourcing verification, waste reduction programs, energy monitoring, sustainability scorecards, and ESG reporting
Carbon footprint tracking, sustainable sourcing verification, waste reduction programs, energy monitoring, sustainability scorecards, and ESG reporting
What to Do Next
Related Functions
Metadata
- Function ID
- func-energy-consumption-monitoring