Tuesday
Dec222009
When it comes to electricity consumption, seeing is believing
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 8:31AM
One obstacle to reducing electricity use is that it's invisible. We can look at our utility bills, but that doesn't tell us which appliances or systems are using the bulk of our electricity. But now we're seeing a flood of devices that can show us exactly how we use it. In fact, $19.5 billion of smart meters will be deployed worldwide between 2010 and 2015, according to Pike Research.
One of the most innovative was just brought to my attention by Chris Thorman of softwareadvice.com. EMMA, by Knowledge Global is, as Chris says here, "an automated environmental monitoring system for property owners and managers who want to measure, track and forecast exactly how much energy a building is using/losing, while simultaneously educating their tenants about their carbon output."
What's different about EMMA? Like other energy management systems, it employs an online dashboard so users can see how much electricity they're using and where they're using it. But EMMA goes further by placing an environmental display monitor in the building’s lobby. Nothing like a little peer pressure to shame building managers into reducing their energy consumption. The lobby monitor can even display energy use by floor, room or tenant.
I asked Chris a few more detailed questions about EMMA:
GE: Does EMMA allow users to set specific thresholds in energy usage or carbon emissions?
CT: Indeed it does. Part of the idea behind EMMA is to make it automatic but until you have enough historical energy data to know what an "optimal forecast" is, you're going to need some sort of manual control.
GE: Does it alert users when these thresholds are exceeded?
CT: Yes it does. That's the big driver behind this system - real time information and notifications.
GE: Has EMMA been implemented in a building yet?
CT: It has but only in very few. Knowledge Global's test case was an Australian University.
EMMA joins the rapidly growing ranks of building power meters like Google Power Meter, and with these ranks growing at a rate of 20 percent per year, there will soon be a meter to meet the needs of every building.
One of the most innovative was just brought to my attention by Chris Thorman of softwareadvice.com. EMMA, by Knowledge Global is, as Chris says here, "an automated environmental monitoring system for property owners and managers who want to measure, track and forecast exactly how much energy a building is using/losing, while simultaneously educating their tenants about their carbon output."
What's different about EMMA? Like other energy management systems, it employs an online dashboard so users can see how much electricity they're using and where they're using it. But EMMA goes further by placing an environmental display monitor in the building’s lobby. Nothing like a little peer pressure to shame building managers into reducing their energy consumption. The lobby monitor can even display energy use by floor, room or tenant.
I asked Chris a few more detailed questions about EMMA:
GE: Does EMMA allow users to set specific thresholds in energy usage or carbon emissions?
CT: Indeed it does. Part of the idea behind EMMA is to make it automatic but until you have enough historical energy data to know what an "optimal forecast" is, you're going to need some sort of manual control.
GE: Does it alert users when these thresholds are exceeded?
CT: Yes it does. That's the big driver behind this system - real time information and notifications.
GE: Has EMMA been implemented in a building yet?
CT: It has but only in very few. Knowledge Global's test case was an Australian University.
EMMA joins the rapidly growing ranks of building power meters like Google Power Meter, and with these ranks growing at a rate of 20 percent per year, there will soon be a meter to meet the needs of every building.
tagged News in Buildings & Cities, Energy
News in Buildings & Cities, Energy
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