5 Uses of Energy Management Software

Take a moment to think about all of the service accounts you’re currently enrolled in: your bank account, email account, cable or internet accounts, even your social media accounts. Now, take a moment to review that list and try to recall from memory each username and password associated with each account. Pretty difficult to do, right?

While seemingly different, this scenario actually parallels the daily struggles of an energy manager, who not only has to manage utility provider accounts from hundreds of disparate locations, but also has to collect, decipher, and report on the data each account provides. And more often than not, these managers are manually obtaining that data — a task that is consuming and costly. But, that’s where energy management software enters the picture.

Understanding Energy Management Software

More and more, companies are combating this data overload issue with energy management software. So, what is it? According to GreenBiz, energy management software can be defined as a database of energy use and cost data that helps companies track and reduce energy use.

These types of software can extract all the data in different regions into a centralized concise document. Energy management software that extracts utility data can be beneficial to a wide array of teams within an organization including procurement and sustainability, corporate energy management, finance, facilities, operations, and real estate teams. There are various benefits of obtaining energy management software, regardless of the type purchased. To better understand, let’s go into more detail about the key offerings of energy management software.

Streamlining Utility Bill Payments and Management

Like we stated previously, many companies are still manually inputting utility bill data into their systems, which can be time-consuming and lead to inaccuracy. For companies with multi-operating facilities, this approach just doesn’t seem feasible. With energy management software, utility bill data can be easily extracted and invoices can be paid automatically, helping companies avoid late fees and billing errors that can result from manual human data input. So, not only does energy management software help companies with cost reduction, but also operational efficiency.

Real-Time Metering

Having submeters installed at facilities in conjunction with energy management software can help provide companies to access real-time data for monitoring. Operations and facility teams are able to receive data in a centralized database, allowing them to identify energy usage and excess consumption almost immediately, from multiple locations. This real-time data can help managers take action sooner which results in reduced costs also.

Monitoring Asset Energy Use

Energy management software extracts utility bill data and centralizes it into one database. With the help of submetering, the data report generated from the software allows operations and facility management to see exactly what assets are using up the most energy. By identifying the assets that have high energy consumption, steps can be taken to reduce this expenditure by replacing machinery or monitoring usage more closely.

Improving Demand Response

By having access to energy consumption data throughout the day, companies can cut down on energy costs by improving their demand response. Because energy costs vary throughout the day depending on the demand for energy, companies can schedule their equipment usage accordingly to minimize energy costs.

Tracking and Reporting

Utility data is the key to energy management and improving sustainability efforts. Energy management systems can provide automated tracking and reporting. This allows facility operating teams to manage energy consumption of their buildings. Companies can measure energy usage daily, hourly, and even in quarterly increments throughout the day so that they can take steps to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, the software sends alerts to companies when energy use or demand crosses a certain threshold to help them manage their consumption.

By adopting an energy management system, companies can reduce and save on the 30% of energy that is wasted in commercial buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Companies can support increase cost savings by analyzing data in a database that is provided to them through the energy management software. Only by having access to this data can companies begin their path towards asset monitoring to reach energy sustainability.

To learn how Urjanet powers the industry’s leading energy management software programs, read about our integrations here. And if you’re ready to create an end-to-end data solution with automated utility data, reach out to a data expert today.

Related Resources:

• Solutions Sheet: Utility Data for Energy Management & Procurement
• An Open Letter to Sustainability Software Providers
• Take Your Energy Management Program Beyond the Bill with Interval Data

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