• The total consumption of a company or plant will show the consumption of all equipment. It is a useful analysis tool to estimate how much electricity you use on average in your factory to produce one unit, or how much electricity your office uses in total during certain hours. Total meter data can be used for this purpose. If you have a smart electricity meter installed in your facility, you can keep track of your consumption for specific periods of time.
• Smart meters help not only you, but also your energy supplier. These meters can send readings directly to your energy supplier. Your energy company can then use this information to provide you with more accurate bills or offer energy analysis tools.
• In order to understand more precisely which processes or equipment consume the most electricity, a more detailed consumption analysis is required. Various methods and electricity monitoring equipment are used for this purpose.

Electricity monitoring devices have three main components:

1. power consumption sensor;
2. information transmitter;
3. information receiver, display or gateway.

Some of the electricity monitoring devices consist of all three components in one, others are separate devices so that different numbers of sensors, transmitters or receivers can be combined.

• Some equipment uses current sensor clamps. Clamps work by measuring the electromagnetic field around a power cable. With such clamps, it is possible to monitor the consumption of specific equipment, groups of equipment or the entire building.

Note. Clamping the sensor clamps around a normal extension cord will show a “0”. This is because the magnetic field from the phase and neutral wires cancel each other out. We recommend a mains plug for monitoring individual devices.

• Optical sensors work by measuring the pulse power in your electricity meter or sub-meter. The pulse output is simply a red LED light that flashes in sync with your power consumption. Some optical sensors can even measure old-fashioned spinning disk mechanical electricity meters.
• Magnetometers are mostly used only in power sensors. They are similar to current clamps in that they measure the electromagnetic field near a conductor. But they're even easier to install because you don't have to wrap them around the power cable, they just have to be near the cable.
• Active current meters, which look like normal surge protectors and attach directly to DIN rails, can be easily integrated into the internal electrical network. They are easy to assemble, compact and provide remote control options.

If it is necessary to transmit information over longer distances, the next component is the transmitter. It is part of or added to the energy sensor. The job of the transmitter is to transfer data from the sensor to a receiver located elsewhere. Energy monitoring equipment uses different methods to send data. Some of them are radio wave transmitters, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

• Radio wave transmitters use different radio frequencies. Each of the frequencies opens up different advantages. Lower frequencies allow you to transmit further with less power required, but the information rate is slower. A higher frequency allows data to be delivered faster, however, it shortens the transmission distance and the ability to overcome obstacles such as walls or bulky equipment.
• Bluetooth has a specific range of frequencies. Such transmitters prefer to receive information with equipment that supports the reading and processing of such data.
• Wi-Fi frequency transmitters allow the transmission of information to all devices capable of receiving a Wi-Fi signal. It allows you to read data from a computer or smartphone.

The last component in the monitoring system is the receiver, display or gateway. The receiver can be a display screen, an internet router, a separate hub, or even a mobile phone. In most cases, the receiver is just an internet gateway that allows you to view the data elsewhere, such as on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone app.

• Data collection – measurement and recording of energy/resource consumption;
• Data analysis – linking consumption with measured output, for example, production volume;
• Data comparison – comparison of consumption with an appropriate standard or benchmark;
• Setting goals - development of measures to reduce or control energy consumption;
• Monitoring – regular comparison of energy consumption with the set goal;
• Reporting of results – information on results, including any deviations from established targets;
• Controlling – implementing management measures to correct potential differences.

• analysis of electricity consumption and possible savings;
• streamlining the 24-hour consumption structure, i.e. the ability to monitor not only consumption during working hours, but also standby mode consumption;
• timely detection of hidden equipment damage;
• reducing the risks of unplanned downtime;
• optimisation of work processes;
• online monitoring of electricity;

An intelligent energy monitoring system can also:

• flag errors in real time and indicate what energy-saving measures will solve the problem;
• provide key performance indicators (KPIs), such as modelling graphs and scenarios relating to specific areas of energy consumption, energy consumption intensity and other indicators that may be useful in setting energy consumption targets or analysing production efficiency.