Monitoring & Metering

SUPPLY OR DEMAND?

At present, there’s a lot of discussion in print and online about the future of our electricity supply networks, and in particular, about the changes that will be needed to meet future requirements such as providing power for charging electric vehicles. Much of the discussion focuses on ways of increasing network and generating capacity but, says Julian Grant of Chauvin Arnoux, is this really the right place to start?

It’s hardly a secret that the demand for electrical power is growing: in 1970, energy usage in the UK was 170 TWh, but by 2017 this had increased to 301 TWh. Projections for future growth in demand vary, but even the most conservative of the four principal scenarios currently being considered by the National Grid shows a large increase. In fact, it has been predicted that electric vehicle charging alone will result in an increase in peak demand of between 3.5 and 8 GW. To put this in perspective, the existing peak demand is around 60 GW, and the output of the massive new Hinckley

Point C nuclear power station will be 3.2 GW.

Clearly, finding this extra power will be no trivial exercise – especially bearing in mind that we’ve considered only electric vehicles and that there are sure to be other factors that will increase electricity consumption. The good news is that the supply authorities have expressed confidence that they will be able to reliably support our electrical power requirements for the foreseeable future. The steps they are taking to deliver on this promise are widely reported: new and ever bigger windfarms, huge solar PV installations and, of course,

Hinckley Point C. But are we missing a trick?

Sure, adding more generating capacity is an important element in ensuring future energy security, but it’s not without its downsides – although these receive far less publicity. Downside number one is that all this extra capacity costs money – a lot of money.

And where will this money come from?

Ultimately from you, the energy consumer.

Downside number two is that, although much of the new generating capacity is

‘green’, that doesn’t entirely break the link between energy usage and environmental impact. In reality, whatever the energy source, energy consumption adversely affects the environment. Wind and solar power are, of course, much more benign in this respect than coal and oil, but there’s still a significant effect. What can be done? Actually, the answer is in your hands, especially if you are an industrial or commercial consumer of electricity. The first step is to realise that, although all the razzmatazz about meeting future energy needs is focussed on the supply side – those new power stations and wind farms – there is at least as much to be done on the demand side. This is much less ‘sexy’, of course, and therefore much less likely to make the headlines.

Look at it this way, though. If your car is delivering poor fuel consumption because you have a leaky fuel tank, you probably wouldn’t say there was a need for additional filling stations so you could be sure of keeping it topped up. Hopefully you might first tackle the leak! So it is with energy. As long as energy is being wasted, it is surely folly to concentrate all our efforts on building extra generating capacity to feed that waste; a better solution has to be to stop or at least minimise the waste.

At this point, you may well be thinking that reducing energy wastage is unlikely to make a significant dent in the future growth of energy demand. If you are, here are a few statistics to consider.

The Carbon Trust says that 20% of energy used in business is wasted because of inefficient equipment. A British Gas survey has revealed that 46% of energy is used out of hours, when the business is supposedly closed. Incandescent lighting uses five times the energy of modern LED luminaires for the same amount of light and fitting variable speed drives can, in many applications, reduce motor energy usage by 50% or more. Finally, and perhaps most shockingly, a recent survey has shown that as many as 50% of businesses have electrical installations with power factors of 0.7 or worse and so are, in effect, paying 30% more than they need to for their electricity.

To put all of this in a nutshell, almost any business can, with a little effort and only modest expenditure, reduce its energy usage dramatically. Chauvin Arnoux’s experience is that, in most cases, savings of 20% are easily achieved. The benefits are threefold: loading on the grid is reduced, which helps to ensure the security of future energy supplies; the carbon footprint of your business is reduced, which is a factor increasingly often considered by customers who may be thinking of awarding you a contract; and, last but very definitely not least, your energy bills will fall, delivering savings that will go straight to the bottom line of your company’s balance sheet.

That has to be excellent news all round, even if it isn’t quite the material headlines are made of! But where do you start to make those energy savings? The old adage that what you can’t measure you can’t control is pretty threadbare but is nonetheless apt in these circumstances. To identify where you can save energy in your business, you need to accurately measure when and where you’re using it.

The best way to do this for electrical systems is with a PEL – a portable energy logger – such as the Chauvin Arnoux PEL103. You can easily install this at almost any point in your electrical installation, where it will measure and record all key electrical parameters such as voltage, current, power, power factor and harmonics. Armed with this information, identifying opportunities for saving energy becomes a straightforward and rewarding task, as has been discussed in more detail in previous articles in this series.

If you didn’t see these articles or if you would simply like more information, contact us at Chauvin Arnoux and we’ll be happy to help. And don’t forget, it’s not just the supply side that needs to change to ensure the security of future energy supplies – change is equally important for the demand side. You have your part to play and, unusually for a situation where you’ll be benefitting others, you will also be saving money! www.chauvin-arnoux.co.uk

MONITORING & METERING DATA – THE MEASURE OF SUSTAINABILITY ON THE ROAD TO NET ZERO

Energy managers in industrial and commercial (I&C) settings have a critical role to play in greening Britain’s economy. The good news is that the enabling technologies that can transform energy efficiency in buildings already exist. This matters because the government aim is to reduce emissions in the UK by 2030 by at least 68% compared to 1990 levels.

Indeed, the goal is to achieve a 78% reduction by 2035, but achieving this will require a transformation of building energy efficiency, particularly in the I&C sector. In this context, metering, monitoring and data analytics have never been more important. In short, data is now the measure of sustainability. Industrial and commercial metering and data specialists, Energy Assets, is working closely with Energy Managers to turn halfhourly gas and electricity data delivered automatically by advanced meters into benchmarks measuring energy efficiency. “The availability of monitoring and reporting portals coupled with innovations in machine learning is helping managers to cut through huge swathes of data to bring greater clarity than ever before to decision-making around energy and sustainability,” said Stewart Love, Group Commercial Director at Energy Assets. “With new and evolving digital tools in their armoury, organisations are able to bear down on energy consumption, to shape their efficiency strategies and to contribute to the nation’s wider sustainability challenges on the journey to Net Zero. “This will be increasingly important as businesses adapt to a future characterised by greater electrification, the integration of renewables and innovations in demand response.” Energy Assets has developed an end-to-end suite of services to help organisations sharpen their focus on saving energy, including advanced metering, an aM&T dashboard – WebAnalyser – and an

AI-informed machine learning service that progressively learns what optimal energy performance looks like – AMR DNA. “Even now, it’s still surprising how many businesses look upon energy consumption as a fixed overhead, but with the insights available through metering and monitoring systems, managers can actively develop robust and long-term energy management practices…and save money,” said Stewart.

“For example, according to the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), companies with a progressive aM&T regime can achieve average energy savings of 10-15% over nonmonitored estates.”

WebAnalyser integrates data from gas, water and electricity meters to give clarity over consumption profiles. This platform includes the ability to set alarms to flag deviation from defined consumption parameters, and to rank and compare site efficiency and carbon performance vs benchmarks over defined periods. It is also possible to track the impact of renewables on energy costs and carbon emissions and filter building reporting by footprint area.

Energy Assets believes that one area often overlooked in energy optimisation strategies is sub-metering.

Said Stewart: “Whether it’s electricity or water, sub-metering can be an incredibly valuable way of understanding utilities consumption…and saving money.

“For larger single site operations – such as offices, industrial plants or hospitals - sub-metering provides the ability to monitor energy usage by floorplate or function. It also enables the collection of data linked to carbon reduction obligations and the Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme.

“In multi-occupancy settings, such as retail centres, service stations or transport hubs, sub-metering enables businesses to monitor their energy usage more accurately – and make positive changes - rather than being charged on a broader measure such as footprint.”

Having all this data available, whether through fiscal meters or sub-metering, offers exciting opportunities to leverage the power of machine learning.

For example, through its data analytics service - AMR DNA - Energy Assets is helping companies analyse reams of consumption data using machine learning informed by artificial intelligence.

AMR DNA uses this data to develop energy consumption profiles and, as the dataset grows, the system can spot tell-tale ‘fingerprints’ of energy waste – such as heating or cooling controls incorrectly set - and then provide a checklist of priority actions to drive up efficiency and reduce energy costs.

All the while, using meter data, the system progressively learns what optimal performance looks like, taking account of variables such as weather information and consumption on comparative sites. This enables AMR DNA to spot patterns outside the expected norm – and once learned, it continues to analyse half hourly data progressively to provide checklists of opportunities for enhanced efficiency.

“In short, machine learning does the heavy lifting for energy managers when it comes to making sense of data,” said Stewart. “The software will free up staff time and enable skilled professionals to get on with managing energy performance rather than poring over data, thereby opening up more opportunities for cost savings and carbon reduction.”

Indeed, carbon reduction is increasingly a focus for Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance strategies as organisations align themselves with the roadmap to Net Zero. This means that management teams will be watching how their energy performance compares with similar organisations and mindful of the opportunities for better carbon performance enabled by innovation. www.energyassets.co.uk

Energy Assets provides utility suppliers, third party intermediaries, developers, contractors, and industrial and commercial end-users with a broad spectrum of expert multi-utility metering and energy-related services. This includes enabling customers to collect, monitor and analyse energy consumption data.