How to train your energy consumption?

Rapid changes in the field of energy encourage everyone to evaluate habits of energy resource consumption more intensively both privately and in business. The first thing anyone can do is monitor and analyse their energy consumption.

Detecting electricity and heat losses or the most energy-intensive processes allows finding the most suitable solutions for reducing consumption most effectively. The ways to do this were discussed at the webinar on 30 November "How to train your energy consumption?" organised by the Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre.

An Electricity Analysis Tool for Businesses

Customer Offers Development Manager of the Corporate Customer Relations Unit of Latvenergo AS Lauris Džeriņš emphasised that the Energy Analytics section is already available to the customers of the company on elektrum.lv.

“With the Energy Analytics tool, one can review and compare the energy consumption of all facilities of the companies under their management in one place, create customised reports that will help understand where the energy is used and how, recognise trends and forecast future consumption and costs,” explained Lauris Džeriņš. "The analytics is available free of charge to any Elektrum customer. This is the first step towards specific monitoring solutions. The analytics tool helps to detect if electricity consumption problems exist and whether they can be eliminated without other special solutions, obtaining an instant economy of funds."

Where can one find the tool? After logging in to the elektrum.lv portal, in the company section, you must select the My reports section, where the Energy Analytics is immediately visible. Selecting it initially opens the Energy Analytics panel in a smaller window, which can be opened in full-screen mode.

It has five sections that allow you filter and analyse information by hours, days, months, objects, and also by different aspects and comparisons. An important tool is the possibility to analyse the consumption and the weighted average electricity exchange price at that moment. At this point, you can realise how you can save the most.

"Natural gas report is also available in the Energy Analytics tool. This is relevant for those Elektrum customers who also have purchased natural gas from us. This section is still under development, but it is already available. Data available on natural gas are not as detailed as on electricity," explained Lauris Džeriņš. The Energy Analytics tool also enables creation of specific reports if the proposed solutions are insufficient.

Electricity Monitoring as a Service

Electricity monitoring is available as a service as well. The export manager of AdvanGrid Rolands Birģelis explained how it works and how it allows you to save up to 30% of consumption.

"It is important to understand that committing to energy saving is not enough. It's like a New Year's resolution, which most often remains at the level of good intentions and the results are poor. We need someone who continuously guides us towards the set goal and helps us achieve it," explained Rolands Birģelis.

For example, the energy audit of a company, which is mandatory for large companies, is often carried out too infrequently for large consumers – once every four years. It records the situation but does not observe trends and suggests recommendations that are difficult to implement. The Energy Management System (ISO 50001) is a good solution for companies. However, most often there is a lack of qualified employees to entrust the Energy Management System, because there is no time due to other work commitments, and the system team is activated once a year before the ISO audit.

Energy management as a service is a solution. Experienced specialists collect and analyse data, and also provide recommendations. An electricity balance is created to find out who is consuming and how much; thus, it is possible to optimise consumption-related costs and electrical infrastructure. It is also possible to digitise water and gas meters, as well as monitor critical nodes, providing data for analysis.

Rolands Birģelis recommends reviewing the input power and thinking about phase balancing; a change in the distribution tariff plan may be needed, and it is also necessary to assess the voltage quality, which can cause serious problems for the electrical equipment, as well as to create an automatic gas and water consumption accounting system, to create an opportunity to react upon receiving a warning about changes in the technological nodes.

Consumption Analysis and Control – from A to Z

Andrejs Misjuks, a Siemens specialist, explained that there are several ways of offering consumption analysis and control. These solutions start from simple local control and data reading. As the need for an integrated and automated toolchain grows, the next steps include cloud services and virtual platforms, building management systems and comprehensive building management solutions. The more complex the solution, the greater the possibilities to not only collect the data but also analyse it in an automated way.

The simplest solutions are data collection using wires, mobile data collectors or automatic meter readings, and invoice preparation using an on-site data collector. The analysis must be carried out by yourself, most often manually within the scope of your competence. Also, the management of equipment at this level is largely local and manual.

Meanwhile, the cloud services and virtual platforms offer the possibility to organise multi-site management – to manage and monitor all building elements in real-time, remote access, i.e., remote monitoring from anywhere, anytime, and for any system, simplified user profiles, as well as secure connections and data encryption.

A more serious solution is building management systems, which not only control, for example, the heating of a building but also integrate all building systems in one place. However, such a complex system is not always necessary, for example, in a small office, because these systems are not cheap. In the case of a building, the solution would be integrated heat, temperature, electricity, and security management programs, data storage in the cloud and the possibility to analyse the data.

Don't forget about the employees!

No matter how complex and full of opportunities building management systems are, we must not forget about employees and their motivation to work, create company values, and use the opportunities offered by technology. Jānis Kolomenskis, the business development manager of Peero, emphasised that the employees of the company are the resource that should be taken care of the most so that their batteries are always charged.

"The best way to charge these batteries is a basic "thank you!" or feedback about the employee's contribution," explained Jānis Kolomenskis. What does a company gain when it implements such a colleague energy strategy? It increases morale, motivation, and productivity. It helps to retain the best employees, improves customer satisfaction and therefore the security of the company.

"Highlight the details of a colleague's job well done and emphasise what they did great. This will positively charge the colleague and create the feeling that their work is appreciated; thus, they will be interested in performing their work duties with care in the future, generating even more positive energy in the company," said Jānis Kolomenskis.

The employee should receive a "thank you" at least once a week. Unfortunately, only 3 out of 10 workers say they have received an energy boost from colleagues in the past 7 days.

"Also, all employees should have equal opportunities to give and receive energy, regardless of their level, position, department, or term of office," says Jānis Kolomenskis.

Everything is Based on Electric Motors and their Efficiency

Ņikita Petrovs, a specialist of ABB Latvia, reminded of the most important details defined by the new European Commission Ecodesign Regulation for electric motors and drives.

A new regulation has entered into force from 1 July 2021, and there will be new requirements from 1 July 2023 as well.

The European Union has agreed on a new, more demanding regulation 2019/1781/EU, which will replace regulation 640/2009.

For the first time, the requirements include frequency conversion (3-phase LV AC VSD, 0.12 kW – 1000 kW, with diode rectifier); the range of motors to be installed in new facilities has been expanded as well. For example, in the power range from 0.12 kW to 1000 kW, it includes 8-pole motors, 60 Hz motors, Ex motors, TEAO – motors, and brake motors with external brakes. From 1 July 2023, IE4 requirements will apply, as well as requirements for documentation such as power loss points at the input of the drive.

Energy saving in pumping systems

One way to save energy is to review the pump usage of the company. Didzis Osiņš, a specialist at Grundfos, emphasised that by installing pumps of appropriate capacity, the world would immediately save 4% of the total electricity consumption because mostly too powerful pumps are installed.

About 85% of the total life cycle cost of a pump is energy consumption; therefore, when looking at all financial aspects, it is necessary to consider all costs in the operation of the pump, not just the price of the pump. The benefits of the pump system must also be weighed against the total life cycle costs. Only by evaluating the direct and indirect costs during the operation of the pumps it is possible to reduce the total costs.

Educational webinars at the Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre

With 25 years of accumulated experience, Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre educates people on various solutions to increase energy efficiency by organising free webinars and events regularly, as well as providing consultations.

All the materials for this webinar are available for everyone at elektrum.lv/seminars under Seminar Archive, and you are welcome to watch previous webinars to gain valuable knowledge on electromobility, solar energy, building renovation, and energy efficiency.