Many companies do not even know how much energy their various production processes consume. To find out, more and more companies are turning to automated energy data management. The advantages are obvious: in addition to environmentally conscious production, meaningful energy data management also has a financial impact. Saving energy saves costs - and reductions are also possible due to government regulations. In Germany, for example, an energy data management system (EDMS) in accordance with ISO 50001 brings a discount on energy tax. This means that the topic of energy management is of great interest in all industrial sectors - especially for energy-intensive production facilities. However, companies should also look at their own consumption independently of savings and subsidy programs: Energy costs are often an underestimated factor when it comes to the profitability of a plant.

Exploiting existing potential

Companies often have a lot of information about their energy consumption, but are unable to link it to production. If this is the case, existing potentials are not exploited: possible synergies and energy leaks may remain undetected. For informative reporting and a good overview of the efficiency of a plant, it makes sense to collect data on the consumption of electricity, gas, heat and water. In addition, other key figures such as price data, tariffs or quotas and information on the system statuses such as temperatures, flow rates, motor, fan and valve status should be documented. To guarantee a smooth process, the integration of a well-networked EDMS is recommended. The aim of these systems is always to optimize the energy efficiency of production without restricting productivity or availability.

When a company decides to introduce an energy management system, it often faces a variety of challenges. The first major hurdle that needs to be overcome: Bundling all the data from the various sources centrally in order to be able to process it further. The software solution must therefore be compatible with the existing systems to ensure seamless documentation. Intuitive visualization is important in order to draw conclusions from the data quickly and easily: the clear presentation of key figures - in real time and historically - is crucial to the success of the project. After all, all employees should be able to find their way around the EDMS quickly and easily.