The primary purpose of a building energy management system is to help building owners manage and optimize their energy usage. The building energy monitoring system uses a system made up of software and hardware tools to help eliminate unnecessary costs and risks. These energy management systems focus on running larger appliances like heat ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) at the highest possible level of efficiency, giving business owners one less cost to worry about. With the business management system estimated to grow from $1.0 billion in 2020 to $1.8 billion by 2025, there are more opportunities to install or upgrade these automated systems than ever before. Let’s take a look at your options and the key benefits of investing in a sustainable energy management system.
Overview of Building Energy Management Systems
Often confused with energy conservation, building energy management systems are used by electricity grid operators to maximize the effectiveness of all energy-consuming appliances. They gather operations data in real-time and amplify how well power plants and transmission systems are performing. Business energy management systems are a bit of an investment in terms of upfront costs. This is just because commercial buildings have a lot of appliances and use a lot of energy. In fact, they consumed 18% of all energy in the U.S. in 2019. If that doesn’t showcase the importance of sustainable energy planning and management in the commercial sector, read on to learn the advantages of building energy management systems.
Benefits of a Building Energy Management System
There are several advantages of building energy management systems. Building owners that utilize energy management solutions usually have a higher ROI than those who go without. Property managers in New York City will find these management systems especially useful in helping them achieve an efficiency score complying with Local Law 84. Let’s take a deeper look into the benefits of having a building energy management system:
1. Spend less money on utilities
Building energy management solutions contribute to a higher ROI by reducing all utility costs. They do so by sustaining a healthy balance between energy use and building operation. The energy management software also collects and stores data on the matter. This helps reduce costs in the future as well because the data will help make the next generation of building management solutions. It does so by determining best practices to minimize costs and the capacity for downtime, all without risking any IT assets. This will also help allocate a more accurate amount of funds for utilities when preparing annual budgets.
2. Increase employee productivity
Newer versions of building energy management systems monitor the appliances that maintain a certain level of comfort in the building’s environment. This includes the temperature the thermostat is set at, the air quality, and the lighting. When the office environment is upgraded, the productivity level of the employees follows suit. The office building energy management system will also provide a thorough breakdown of energy consumption through the use of preventive and predictive maintenance options. Utilizing these will increase the system’s own shelf life and reduce any and all unnecessary use of energy-consuming appliances. It will also be less time-consuming for the employees who manage and budget utilities, creating more time for them to be productive in other areas of the business. There are plenty of ways your business can cut costs by practicing energy conservation, but everyone knows the best processes are always automated nowadays.
3. Show that you care about the environment
As previously mentioned, commercial buildings use a LOT of energy. Climate experts and activists alike find commercial building’s energy use levels to be concerning. The biggest concern is the increase in emissions that can have negative consequences to our environment, including rising temperatures and natural disasters. It’s alarming enough that most building owners already know that reducing pollution and energy usage is just as important as reducing their energy bills. Employing an energy management system will naturally decrease energy consumption and increase eco-friendly processes like energy efficiency. This is something your company’s customers, business partners, and community will appreciate. By promoting your energy conservation efforts, you’re showing people that you prioritize sustainable energy planning and management. This also shows your company knows how to work and manage operations efficiently.
4. Improve your building’s resources
In addition to improving employee productivity, energy management systems upgrade the building’s overall resources. By cutting costs on energy usage, you are creating more wiggle room in your budget to upgrade other areas of your business. These areas include things like marketing, technology, CRM platforms, onboarding costs, bonuses, raises, and more. Resources like these will always give you a leg up on your competitors so you stand out to both future customers and employees. They can also help you easily maintain and even upgrade your building in the future.
5. Automated maintenance
As previously mentioned, office building energy management systems collect data on the building’s energy consumption. This data-collecting tool is constantly collecting data from the devices linked to it. These include devices such as:
- HVAC settings
- Air quality monitoring sensors
- Default lighting
- Presence sensors
- Gas, water, and power meters
Integrating these devices with your building energy management platform creates a completely automated system that can program and set alarms, detect potential errors and repairs. It also solves the errors and completes repairs, which will help avoid any mistakes in the future. This eliminates unnecessary maintenance and monitoring. Additionally, this is especially useful if your business uses appliances that don’t permit much time, if any, for downtime. The platform enables extracting the essential insights from the data, which makes it simple to identify any areas where downtime can be reduced.
Business Energy Management System Summary
The advantages of building energy management systems include saving money, increasing employee productivity, improving your company’s image and its resources, and automated maintenance. These benefits will substantially increase the ROI received from installing an energy management platform in your building.
At Aggressive Energy, we’ll work collaboratively to find the building energy management system that’s right for your business. We offer cloud-based energy management, which allows clients to easily and accurately benchmark their portfolio. We help our clients make cost-effective decisions by taking the time to understand their unique needs and goals.