Monitoring & Targeting

Energy monitoring & targeting is primarily a management technique that uses energy information as a basis to eliminate waste, reduce and control current level of energy use and improve the existing operation procedures. It essentially combines the principles of energy use and statistics.

While, monitoring is essentially aimed at establishing the existing pattern of energy consumption, targeting is the identification of energy consumption level which is desirable as a management goal to work towards energy conservation.

Monitoring and Targeting is a management technique in which all of a buildings utilities are managed as controllable resources in the same way building occupancy and capital are managed. It involves a systematic, disciplined division of the facility into Energy Cost Centers. The utilities used in each center are closely monitored, and the energy used is compared with production volume or any other suitable measure of operation. Once this information is available on a regular basis, targets can be set, variance can be spotted and interpreted, and remedial actions can be taken and implemented.

The M&T process also provides an opportunity to implement the rescheduling of control systems in multiple stages to increase occupant comfort. When temperature set-points have to be increased or decreased the change in temperature can be made is small changes to give the occupants a chance to acclimatize to changes without noticing, increasing their comfort.

Benefits of Monitoring & Targeting:

• Identify and explain increase or decrease in energy use
• Draw energy consumption trends (weekly, seasonal, operational…)
• Determine future energy use when planning changes in the business
• Diagnose specific areas of wasted energy
• Develop performance targets for energy management programs
• Manage energy consumption, rather than accept fixed cost

Elements of Monitoring & Targeting

• Recording -Measuring and recording energy consumption
• Analysing -Correlating energy consumption to a measured output, such as production quantity
• Comparing -Comparing energy consumption to an appropriate standard or benchmark
• Setting Targets -Setting targets to reduce or control energy consumption
• Monitoring -Comparing energy consumption to the set target on a regular basis
• Reporting -Reporting the results including any variances from the targets which have been set
• Controlling -Implementing management measures to correct any variances, which may have occurred.

Particularly M&T system will involve the following:

• Checking the accuracy of energy invoices
• Allocating energy costs to specific departments (Energy Accounting Centres)
• Determining energy performance/efficiency
• Recording energy use, so that projects intended to improve energy efficiency can be checked
• Highlighting performance problems in equipment or systems