What Modern Energy Management Means for Businesses

Energy Management and Cost Reduction
This briefing document addresses the comprehensive topic of energy management, focusing on its importance for companies, the role of the energy manager, and the tools and processes required for effective implementation. The information is based on the podcast "UMGehört – der Janitza Energiepodcast (EPISODE 12: Controlling Energy, Reducing Costs)".

1. Introduction to Energy Management
   Energy management is a key strategy for companies aiming to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs. It is not just about internal processes, but also about meeting external requirements and reporting obligations.

Definition and Importance:
"What is hidden behind energy management, what does it mean for companies, and what are the tasks of an energy manager?"

Main Objectives:
Creating transparency to achieve higher efficiency. This efficiency can be absolute (reduced consumption) or monetary (cost savings).
"My goal is to create transparency in order to become more efficient."

2. Role and Tasks of the Energy Manager
   The work of an energy manager is much broader and more diverse than it may seem at first glance. It involves both internal and external reporting and requires extensive knowledge of different energy carriers.

Task Diversity:

• Internal reporting: Monitoring energy costs, capacity prices, and ensuring secure energy procurement at the lowest possible cost.
  "How high were our energy costs, what does our capacity price look like, how can we ensure energy procurement to guarantee availability, always at the lowest cost, of course."

• External reporting: Compiling statistics for state and federal authorities, including information on the energy carriers used.
  "We need to produce external reports. This includes, for example, statistics for the regional authority or federal agency. We need to provide statistics in the form of which energy carriers we use."

• Data analysis and interpretation: It's not just about collecting data but, above all, about interpreting it to gain insights and support continuous improvement.
  "I want to focus more on improvement activities and less on pure data analysis, more on data interpretation."

• Knowledge of energy carriers: It is necessary to understand not only electricity but also natural gas, propane, and fleet fuel consumption.
  "We don't just look at one energy carrier because we measure many things, electricity. But it's not just electricity that we consume. We also have natural gas, propane, and we also talk about fleet consumption."

• Importance of the role: Previously seen as a secondary activity, now it is a crucial role for companies.

3. Tools and Technologies in Energy Management
   Effective energy management is unthinkable without modern software solutions and precise measuring technology that enables real-time data collection and analysis.

Need for Software and Measuring Technology:
For deeper analysis than just annual consumption (e.g., hourly or minute values), software is essential. Measuring technology ensures real-time data collection.
"Without software it won't work, and of course not without measuring technology, because measuring technology offers the possibility to evaluate data in real time from the database."

• Data collection: It is key to collect the most accurate data possible in the shortest possible time series (hourly, 15-minute, or minute values).

• The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI can significantly facilitate work in areas that can be automated, especially when analyzing and interpreting large data sets. However, the "sensitivity" and understanding of a company's specifics are still lacking.
  "I would hope that AI will make my work easier, especially in areas where I can automate a lot."

• Alarm management: Ability to set alarms when certain thresholds are exceeded for automatic identification of anomalies and process initiation.

4. Implementation and Operation of Energy Management
   The implementation of energy management requires a well-thought-out plan, measurement flexibility, and above all communication and regular checks.

• Flexibility and scalability: An energy management system should be flexible and capable of recording data at different time intervals (seconds, quarter-hours, hours, days, months).
  "Energy management should be flexible. We want to be able to scale. We want to be able to record hourly values, perhaps even daily or monthly values, but also second values. It must be flexible."

• Concept and relationships: A single measured value is not enough; it must be interpreted in context and relation to other data.
  "It is important that the pure value alone does not bring much. You have to put it in context, in relation."

• Measurement plan (Top-down approach): Start measuring at the highest level (transformer station), then move to distribution and finally to specific energy carriers.
  "It is first important to measure top-down. I start big at the transformer station. I go into the distribution and, most importantly, I look at my energy carriers."

• Standards (ISO 50001): Integrating energy management into a standardized system such as ISO 50001 ensures a systematic approach to measurement, management of measuring points, and addressing risks and savings.
  "We use the ISO system, it's ISO 50001."

• Operational issues and solutions:

  • Incorrect installation of measuring devices: A common problem is incorrect installation or parameterization of measuring devices and transformers.
    "It is a big problem that many customers commission measuring devices incorrectly or measure incorrectly."

  • Documentation: Detailed documentation of which transformer is connected to which meter and which group is connected is important.

  • Communication with colleagues: Ensuring that technicians on site understand the meaning of measurement and do not arbitrarily connect loads that could distort the measured values.
    "You also need communication with colleagues on site so that they know exactly—hey, this is a measurement that has its purpose and nothing should be connected arbitrarily."

  • Regular checks: Constantly verifying that the current status is consistent with defined objectives.

• Examples of savings:

  • Solar power plants (PV): At Janitza, the addition of a solar system has led to a significant reduction in net grid electricity consumption by 10-15% of annual consumption.
    "What we have definitely achieved is that by building photovoltaic systems, we have significantly reduced the net electricity consumption from the grid. We are talking about 10 to 15% of annual consumption."

  • Anomaly detection: Detecting improper settings in ventilation systems that led to excessive consumption.
    "We found that ventilation systems suddenly consume much more for one or two months. What happened? What is the cause? Why is it suddenly double? There was just something in the control unit that wasn't set correctly since the last maintenance."

  • Peak load optimization: With growing charging infrastructure (e.g., electromobility), new peak loads emerge that need to be managed.

5. Plausibility Checks and Reporting
   Regular checks and customized reports are essential to ensure data accuracy and effective energy management.

• Plausibility check methods:

  • Time series analysis: Monitoring average values and identifying deviations (e.g., exceeding the average by 20-30%).

  • Combination of software and on-site communication: Integrating software evaluation, alarm management, and personal communication with colleagues on site.
    "I would always say, use a combination of software evaluation, alarm management, and on-site communication, because we cannot replace that."

• Reports:

  • Using individual reports that can be tailored to specific questions and needs (e.g., absolute consumption, performance, deviations).
    "I really like to use individual reports, they're my personal favorite, because I can define exactly for myself what question I have right now."

  • Standard reports for audits, management, and own needs.

  • Ad hoc reports for specific queries.

  • Example of a favorite report: The energy report in the web version of GridVis, which can be exported as a PowerPoint and scheduled for daily/hourly delivery.

Conclusion
Energy management is a dynamic and complex discipline that requires constant attention, technological support, and effective interdisciplinary communication. For companies, it is an essential investment in the future, enabling not only cost savings but also sustainable and secure energy use.