SOLAR ENERGY
| MWA Technology
Getting it right with energy management software
Energy prices don’t generally go down, so effective energy management is definitely the way forward. With the UK government incentivising us to comply with initiatives and taxing us if we don’t, becoming greener and more carbon neutral has to be on your agenda says Mark Brown from MWA Technology
M
WA Technology is the largest independent meter distribution business in the UK. Founded in 1993,
the company is an established leader in the metering solutions marketplace. MWA products include an extensive
range of meters and ancillary equipment for energy, electric, heat, water, gas, oil, and steam. Customers include end users, consultants and hard and soft facilities management in the UK, Europe, East, West and South Africa, Australia, Malta, UAE and the Far East. Every aspect of each project is carefully considered against the specification, and supported through ISO90001 and 14001 TQM processes. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in metering solutions. Over the past few years we have been repeatedly asked to provide a means to visualise and measure data with specific requests for energy management software. After all, the meters we provide are measuring instruments which provide important information, some with more complex functionality than the average laptop. Downloading data to Excel is one way to
achieve this, but to have data flowing through a system that provides active visualisation in reports and dashboards, with powerful applications to dice and slice the data, delivers real energy savings.
Choosing the right software system The challenge when selecting an energy management software system is matching your needs to what’s available, and peering through the smoke and mirrors to get to the actual functionality. There are so many providers all claiming to offer a panacea when, in my experience, some are little more than data visualisation. Others promote functionality which doesn’t exist, doesn’t
reports and outputs that are customisable with the option of bespoke reports and interfaces for a reasonable cost. Look for a solution that includes a range of applications within the licence that you can turn on if you need them. The most significant for a large company is legislatory compliance, again search for one that offers a centralised energy data repository. This saves you time producing reports, complying with legislation, and tracking your energy projects automatically. A project management application should
Turnkey Energy Management System
work, or is so complicated that it becomes quicker to use spreadsheets, negating the reason for using it in the first place. Some of the more established systems are more energy accounting than energy management, and can be clunky, inflexible and expensive. Then there are the innovations with add-ons which are fantastic, but very specifically driven by gamification in order to work with the latest smart phone. There’s nothing wrong with these systems, but in my opinion they’re more advertising agency then environment agency. Energy management software must be
fit for purpose, and everybody’s needs are intrinsically different. Not just by industry, vertical or application, but by the level of competency within the business. It also needs to be accessible to the entire organisation in order to achieve more.
Range of applications Whether single or multi-site, it should have the ability to capture data from meters at meter, asset or building level, as well as a range of standard energy management
62 REview Renewable Energy View 2015
provide visibility of active, planned and completed projects. Enterprise level systems use standard PM methodology and the best have a wizard to guide you through a process which is very useful. Dashboards and interfaces support stakeholder engagement, and if the management team are engaged you will almost certainly reduce consumption and carbon dioxide.
Applications are vital for effective
energy management and widely used apps include CRC, DECs and benchmarking, invoice management and validation, project management and verification, solar and water management, asset management and tenant billing and recharge.
Turnkey solution Once you’ve ticked these boxes, the most important factor is the support you receive. It’s critical to have a provider who will help you through the early stages as you tune the system to your requirements. The best will wrap their software around your processes, making it instantly familiar to you from day one.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION If you require advice or further information before selecting software please get in touch. Tel: +44 (0) 121 327 7771 Email:
info@mwatechnology.com www.mwatechnology.com We also offer a turnkey solution comprising of hardware, software and installation, including commissioning to the cloud.
www.r-e-a.net
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