How to monitor your energy use
You can't manage what you don't measure. So, to find out how much energy your business wastes and how much money you can save, you need to monitor your energy use.
Understanding your energy bill
Monitor your meters
Take regular meter readings and compare consumption to previous months. Remember:
- When comparing fuel used for heating your premises, take into account how cold it's been. The colder the period, the more energy you will use.
- If you're comparing energy used in production, consider your output. The best way to do this is to record energy used per item produced. Or, in offices, by floor spaces or staff numbers.
Plotting these against each other will help you spot where you can make changes. Simple changes can often result in major savings. For example, you could identify equipment that's not used at weekends and make sure it's switched off on Friday evenings.
Advanced meters
There are many types of advanced metering systems available. These can give you a detailed picture of energy use within your business - far beyond that offered by the basic meter provided by your energy supplier. These include:
- half hourly meters record how much energy is used every 30 minutes - useful for analysing energy-use patterns
- sub meters allow you to monitor specific areas or processes
- a plug-in meter can be 'sandwiched' between a power socket and the plug of the appliance to be monitored - these are cheap and handy for measuring small loads
- clamp on meters offer a non-invasive way of monitoring hot water flow - these are often used to identify large consumers of energy in large factories.
- Carbon Trust: Footprinting and reporting
- Zero Waste Scotland: Save energy and save money
Smart meters
Smart meters send readings automatically to the supplier, wirelessly, at regular intervals - such as every half hour, daily or monthly. As a result, there won’t be estimated readings anymore, and usually there will no longer be the need for you to send readings to the supplier. With these meters the supplier has the technical capability to make changes to your supply and meter settings remotely.
Smart meters come with monitors that give live readings and comparisons, which show you instantly how much energy you are using. With these displays you can monitor your energy use, and find out which processes use the most energy and cost you the most. Based on these observations, you can change your patterns of energy use, and tailor your consumption to take advantage of cheaper rates for off-peak usage.
Perform a walk-round survey
A good way to assess your business' energy use is to carry out a walk-round survey. This will help you spot equipment and processes that are inefficient.
Business Energy Scotland has produced a series of free, online training modules for SMEs. The training will help develop the skills and knowledge needed to put in place effective resource efficiency measures in your business. They deal with energy, waste and water efficiency. You can work through them at your own speed, choosing the modules that are relevant to your business.
Business Energy Scotland: Green Champions Training