Energy management systems (EMS) may provide significant value to buildings and homes of all sizes, not just by lowering electricity costs but also by increasing productivity and guest happiness. These systems require a lot when it comes to expenditure, and that’s why you should be conversant with how they work before you make a purchase. And so, in this post, we’ll not only show you how an energy management system works, but we’ve also included a list of the best ones you can look out for.
What is Energy Management Systems (EMS)?
Energy management systems (EMS) are software that allows you to control and monitor your electric utilities and devices that use electricity in buildings. An energy management system, for example, might control your hotel’s HVAC systems in each guestroom. The EMS provides insight into energy utilization, allowing you to cut consumption and utility expenses while increasing functionality and comfort.
In addition to the EMS interface, an EMS typically has three components: metering sensors that measure energy usage, a control system that communicates commands from the EMS interface, and the actual controlled devices, such as air conditioning units, fans, or lights. The thermostat in your home is a nice example of a very basic EMS. The thermostat has an interface that allows you to program a heating or cooling schedule, a sensor that monitors the temperature in the room, a controller that instructs the heater when to turn on or off, and the actual heating or cooling element itself.
You may be wondering what the difference is between an energy management system and a building management system at this point. While both systems interact with utility systems like lighting and HVAC, a building management system (also known as a building automation system) is designed to automate activities, while an energy management system is available to assist you in regulating and monitoring these systems. A building management system, for example, might automate elevator functions such that they return to the ground floor if the fire alarm goes off.
The Advantages of Energy Management Systems
Using energy management systems can provide your buildings with a number of exciting benefits, including reduced energy use, cheaper operating expenses, and more efficient operations. A system like this can also provide insights that you would not be able to obtain without a system that closely analyzes your energy usage. Let’s take a closer look at each benefit and how an energy management system might help you accomplish your operational objectives.
#1. Reduced energy consumption
To put it simply, an energy management system can assist you in using less energy. Once you’ve mastered the art of monitoring your energy consumption, you’ll be able to see opportunities to turn off certain systems or reduce usage at specific times of the day. Using less energy reduces your building’s environmental imprint, which not only makes you feel good but may also be an excellent point to mention in your marketing materials since many customers are looking for sustainable solutions when they travel.
#2. Reduced operating costs
As your building consumes less energy, your running costs will naturally fall. However, you will not only save money on your gas or electric bill; when your systems function more effectively, they will experience less wear and tear, and you will be able to get more use out of your equipment. You’ll save money on replacement and maintenance charges this way.
#3. Ease of use
While it is possible to operate your building systems manually, this is not the most efficient way to do so. An energy management system provides a centralized interface for controlling all of your systems. This eliminates the need to switch from your air conditioning system to your external lighting system to the system that controls the kitchen exhaust fans. You can do it all from one location, making day-to-day operations faster and easier.
#4. Analytical capability
An energy management system gives a level of transparency to your energy use that you would not be able to obtain by regulating your individual systems manually.
#5. Happier guests and staff
Above all, you must provide a comfortable environment for your guests and employees. You don’t want to cut energy consumption if it means getting negative reviews from visitors who are overheating because you’re trying to save money on air conditioning during the summer. Instead, you can maximize comfort by only using systems when they’re absolutely necessary and turning them down or off when they’re not.
The Most Important Characteristics of Energy Management Systems
#1. Climate Control
The ability to control HVAC systems and set schedules or rules for their operation is a key feature of an energy management system. Set a minimum threshold for air conditioning use, for example, or turn off the heating when rooms are unoccupied.
#2. Smart Lighting
An energy management system, like an HVAC system, can control lighting systems in guestrooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces. You can program the EMS to turn lights on and off at specific times, and the system will notify you when lightbulbs need to be replaced.
#3. Automatic shutdown
When a guestroom is unoccupied, your EMS can reduce electricity usage by turning off lights or cutting power to outlets.
#4. Operational alerts
Receive notifications about underperforming systems, appliances, and lights before they fail, allowing you to proactively repair or replace them.
#5. Dashboard for system management
Get a bird’s-eye view of your hotel’s energy consumption from a single interface. You can quickly determine whether any hardware requires maintenance and monitor usage in real-time.
#6. Reporting
With customizable reports, you can better understand your energy usage, costs, savings, and runtime by room, floor, room type, building, or even across multiple properties.
#7. Integrations
For maximum efficiency, your energy management system should be integrated with your lighting system, climate control system, IoT devices, and utility meters. Connecting your EMS to your property management system or building management system is also beneficial in hotels. Some energy management systems also provide open APIs, allowing you to integrate any other relevant software, such as a business analytics tool.
What is the Cost of Energy Management Systems (EMS)?
Although the cost savings achieved by your hotel buildings after deploying an energy management system are significant, it is important to note that these systems are not inexpensive. Many hotels, however, feel that the return on investment makes these systems very useful. An EMS usually costs roughly $500 per room. The initial expenditure for an 80-room midscale hotel should be around $40,000. A large luxury residence with 350 rooms will set you back more than $175,000.
The Best Energy Management Systems
The best energy management systems (EMS) you can use for your hotel buildings include the following:
- Sensorflow
- Zen Ecosystems
- Telkonet
- Schneider Electric
- Mellex Services
- Verdant energy management solutions\
- Mygreeen butler
- Synapsys Solutions Ltd.
- Siemens
Energy Management Systems (EMS) for Buildings
Buildings have become an important aspect of the urban landscape. These structures’ functions can range from residential to commercial to institutional. These structures, like any infrastructure, rely on energy to work effectively.
Building energy usage accounts for roughly 40% of overall EU energy consumption. Given that 30% of that energy is lost, the necessity for smart technologies that can conserve some of that energy in buildings becomes even more critical.
Building Energy Management Systems for increased energy efficiency
A structure contains numerous pieces of equipment or applications that require energy to function. And in order to make better use of energy, these various energy-consuming outlets must be connected to a system that not only collects information about energy usage but also allows the building management to control them. Building Energy Management Systems, or BEMS, does this.
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting, and other power systems are some of the most popular applications that are incorporated into BEMS for energy optimization. These are often the key parts of a building whose energy use must be regulated.
BEMS is a system that focuses solely on the energy needs and optimization of a building.
Building energy management systems, as the name implies, are primarily concerned with the energy components of a building. They allow building managers to gain an overview of how energy is consumed within a facility and monitor it in real time. BEMS are also configured to discover and indicate potential measures to increase building energy efficiency.
Building managers may make better decisions about the next steps to improve the building’s energy performance using data on energy use and suggestions from the BEMS that do not interfere with the building’s routine functioning and energy needs. The BEMS also provides tools for implementing these decisions, giving managers the control they need to improve the building’s energy performance.
But what about the other aspects of a structure that aren’t related to energy?
Building Management System, for total building control
Aside from energy, other factors must be addressed and monitored for a building’s best performance. Some of the few functions that do not directly fall under the area of energy management are fire and smoke detectors, CCTV, access controls, alarms, and lifts.
Having an overview and control over these various functions is also required in modern buildings. Building Management Systems (BMS) are the perfect building installations for this. Some of these functions can also be automated to make the job of the building manager easier. As a result, they are sometimes referred to as Building Automation Systems (BAS).
These systems provide flexibility, simplicity, and security to a building’s underlying operations, ensuring that individuals inside the structure enjoy a pleasant and safe experience.
Building Energy Management System (BEMS) vs. Building Management System (BMS)
Building Management System (BMS) is a larger concept that encompasses all aspects of operations that occur and must occur within a building. Aside from operating efficiency, it considers the building’s security and comfort.
While Building Energy Management System (BEMS) is a subset of this holistic system, its major goal is to focus on energy consumption within the building and provide the building manager with tools to understand and enhance the building’s energy performance. As a result, it contributes to greater energy savings and makes the building more sustainable.
A BMS can also be a BEMS with the correct integrations and programming.
Home Energy Management Systems(HEMS)
A home energy management system is a combination of hardware (placed in your home) and software that monitors and shows your energy consumption, typically through a smartphone app or website.
A HEMS can also be connected to compatible appliances, allowing you to regulate when they function, including manually turning appliances off and on and setting up planned running periods.
Choosing the Best HEMS for You
A HEMS is your intelligent, quiet partner. It will help you ensure that the cheapest energy available is used in your house, allowing you to save money on your electricity bill without sacrificing your lifestyle.
The market for HEMS vendors is expanding. They all provide different solutions and varied pricing.
When selecting the right one for you, make sure that the HEMS meets your demands, whether they are regularly programmed/manually handled or a set-and-forget solution.
It should also be supported by the supplier in terms of upgrades, continuous maintenance, and other service offerings such as HEMS programming assistance, consumption alerts, and discovering electrical faults for you.
What Are The 5 Strategies Of Energy Management?
- Determine Energy Consumption Sources.
- Obtain Utility Bill Data
- Examine Meter Data
- Identify cost-cutting opportunities.
- Keep track of your progress.
What Are The Three Parts Of Energy Management?
Energy management is divided into risk management, efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
Why Do We Need Energy Management?
Energy management helps to control and maximize the energy use of your firm, which helps you to reduce costs.
What are the four main elements of energy management?
Your gadget needs a smart panel, consumption monitors, smart circuits, and a monitoring & control app to be classified as an energy management system.
What is the future of energy management?
By establishing algorithms that optimize energy costs while ensuring stable operation based increasingly on renewable energy, intelligent energy-management systems like ILLUMINE can bring the energy transition to a new and much smarter level. Our goal is to produce all of our electricity from carbon-free and renewable sources by the year 2050.
In Conclusion,
You don’t want to rush through implementation if you’re going to make a significant investment in an energy management system. Connecting your existing building systems (lighting, HVAC, IoT devices) to your new energy management system, or installing new devices if you’re replacing old systems or opening a new property, is part of the setup process. You’ll also link the EMS to your energy meters so you can track usage accurately. A customer support representative will also lead personalized training webinars for your team during implementation to ensure that everyone feels comfortable using the system. When you first start using your EMS, you can create personalized reports that make the metrics you want to track available at the click of a button.
FAQs On Energy Management Systems
Is EMS same as SCADA?
A SCADA system is an on-premise solution, which means that all control and data storage takes place on a physical server. EMS is cloud-based, which means that all data, applications, and controls are saved and accessible via the Internet from any computer.
What is a SCADA network?
SCADA is a software and hardware-based system that enables industrial companies to operate industrial operations locally or remotely. Real-time data monitoring, collection, and processing
Why is energy management important for the environment?
Energy management is important since all well-planned actions can assist in cutting an organization’s energy expenses while also minimizing environmental impact.
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