Energy Management: Overview
Due to continuously rising prices, energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important issue in business and industry – not only for cost reasons, but also because of heightened sensitivity to environmental issues. In order to achieve significant savings, above all complex processes in production systems have to be optimized and, for example, cycles times and downtime need to be minimized.
Once every four years, large companies are required to subject themselves to a mandatory energy audit in accordance with DIN EN 16247-1, but this is merely a status assessment as compared with an energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. However, small and mid-sized companies benefit from this as well.
And thus in the meantime for many companies, systematic energy management is a suitable tool for increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs as a result. The ISO 50001 standard, which came into force in 2011, sets appropriate international standards for energy management systems. By determining how much energy is consumed by which departments within a company, it’s also possible to identify where potential savings are available. Experience shows that companies can reduce energy consumption by 10 to 25% with the help of an energy management system.
Advantages of an energy management system (EnMS):
- Tax incentives (peak consumption compensation, EEG levy)
- Subsidizing for the introduction of an energy management system
- Compliance with legal requirements
- Clarity concerning energy consumption throughout the company
- Increased supply security
- Image cultivation and environmental protection
- Heightened employee awareness with regard to energy efficiency and climate protection
- Cost center management: fair allocation and billing of energy costs to the actual consumers
- Quick identification and elimination of significant changes by means of continuous monitoring
Intuitive Security for Your Electrical Network – Simple, Understandable and Effective
Do you want to introduce an energy management system or are you still looking for a suitable tool for data collection? With its Gossen Metrawatt and Camille Bauer brand names, GMC-I Messtechnik GmbH offers a broad range of products for effective energy data management as a competent partner – from the acquisition level right on up to the management level.
All relevant consumption data for electrical power, water, gas and heat can be acquired, stored, visualized, evaluated and automatically reported with our SMARTCOLLECT solution. SMARTCOLLECT is specially designed for applications in the energy sector and general industry, as well as for service providers and the public sector. A modern, graphic user interface permits easy, intuitive use, even with large numbers of measuring points. Functions and measuring points can be very easily supplemented at any time thanks to the modular layout.
SMARTCOLLECT acquires measurement data from a great variety of devices in a simple fashion and stores them in an open SQL database. The software provides basic functions for data analysis and simple energy monitoring.
Device data can be integrated either directly via Modbus RTU (RS485), Ethernet TCP/IP or via a data collector such as SmartControl. SMARTCOLLECT is also manufacturer-independent, which means you can integrate devices from all manufacturers.
Not only is it possible to acquire, store and visualize electrical measured quantities, but rather all other relevant consumption data as well such as gas, water and heat.
This results in the following benefits:
Transparency
Complete overview of energy consumption for acquired media in real-time, as well as allocation to the individual consumers
Detection of Weak Points
Weak points can be identified and pinpointed thanks to comprehensive visualization and reporting functions.
Optimization
Suggestions for improvement can be evaluated on the basis of identified weaknesses.
Cost Reduction
Costs can be reduced by identifying and exploiting identified potential savings.
Modular Expansion Option
SMARTCOLLECT can be expanded in a modular fashion:
PM10 – Basic Module
The PM10 basic module acquires measurement data in a simple fashion and stores them in an open SQL database. The module offers basic functions for data analysis and simple energy monitoring, as well as for easy report generation and distribution.
PM20 – Power Quality
The PM20 module expands the PM10 basic module to include a variety of visualization and evaluation options for power quality measuring instruments. PQDIFF files are read in from power quality measuring instruments, converted and written to the database. Measurement data can be read out as a report in accordance with EN 50160.
PM30 – Visualization
Several SCADA images can be linked to each other, thus making it possible to switch from one image to the next in the visualization mode. In this way, more extensive visualizations are possible than with just a single static image, for example by zooming in on an image or clicking through an installation or building.
The high-performance graphic interface of the PM30 module permits simultaneous visualization of measurement data from several different devices in a single graphic. Waveshapes and the type of visualization can be individually adapted.