MONITORING & METERING


Making better informed decisions about energy use


Smart metering can make a difference, but businesses need support and more sophisticated measurement tools to reach their net zero goals, says Kyle Rossi


Kyle Rossi www.mrisoftware.com/uk


Sales manager at MRI Software


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MRI Energy enables users to identify which processes or pieces of equipment are responsible for energy use


s the world becomes increasingly aware of the impact of climate change, many countries


are introducing legislation to reduce carbon emissions. At the same time, small businesses are taking on the challenge of reducing their energy consumption, not only to increase their sustainability and meet environmental goals, but to cut costs, increase profitability and improve their resilience to market price fluctuations. At a government level, one


important step on the path to achieving net zero is the market-wide half-hourly settlement. In a fast- moving energy market where prices can fluctuate rapidly, many businesses are still billed only on the provision of meter readings at fixed increments. The market reform, due in 2026, will require energy suppliers to offer customers the option to receive bills based on half-hourly usage increments instead, based off of automatically generated smart meter data. Half-hourly settlement not only


provides a clearer insight into energy usage patterns and removes the uncertainty of estimated bills – it also makes it possible to bill businesses for their energy usage on a much more flexible basis. If energy usage is measured to the hour, prices can be adjusted to reflect real-time market rates, affected by nationwide usage peaks and variable generation rates from wind or solar power sources. The potential to bill flexibly in this way opens up the opportunity for businesses to make savings by


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moving energy-intensive processes to times when demand, and therefore prices, are lower.


Step forward This significant energy market reform will lead to a corresponding uptick in businesses installing smart meters in the hope of reaping the benefits of more accurate billing and innovative pricing structures. The shift towards real-time monitoring of energy usage is a significant step towards helping small businesses take greater control of their energy usage and reach net zero emissions targets. At MRI Software we have been in the energy management space for over 25 years and have seen firsthand how businesses have evolved their approaches to energy management in response to changing legislation, market demands and the growing pressure to respond to climate change. Over this period, we’ve seen time and time again that one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses when it comes to energy management is not a lack of desire to change, but instead a lack of resources and expertise to implement energy-saving measures. While smart metering is a great


step forward, half-hourly billing alone is not enough to drive significant progress towards net zero. While they’re a significant step up from traditional meters, smart meters still don’t provide the granularity of data needed to break down energy usage fully; sub-metering is still necessary to understand not only when energy


is used, but where in a business consumption is highest. Smart meters also don’t provide the level of analysis and insight necessary to make proactive changes to reduce usage and costs. While it’s helpful for businesses to understand when energy is being used, further data is needed to understand exactly why, and what they can do about it. The risk is that without a deeper


understanding of how to approach their efforts to reach net zero, small businesses could become discouraged when they don’t find the answers they’re looking for. This could lead to a sense that they’ve “done all they can”, causing them to end their energy savings journey too early, and leaving significant savings on the table. It’s therefore important for small businesses to understand that smart meters are just one aspect of effective energy management.


Collecting data To truly get a full picture of energy usage and identify opportunities for efficiencies, businesses need to segment their energy data – not just by the time period in which usage happened, but by a variety of other measures, too. By collecting data from submeters, IoT sensors and other measurement tools, it’s possible to pinpoint which processes or pieces of equipment are responsible for energy usage. By further cross- referencing this against business metrics such as production levels or site occupancy figures, it’s possible to build a much more nuanced


picture of how and where energy is used across a business – and where the opportunities for long-term improvements and efficiencies lie. It goes without saying that


segmenting energy usage in this way results in a huge amount of data that can easily become overwhelming. This is where an energy management platform such as MRI Energy comes in. With its hardware-agnostic approach, meaning it can integrate with a business's existing infrastructure, and the ability to collect and collate data from a wide range of protocols, including IoT, MQTT and APIs, MRI Energy can help businesses collect, streamline and analyse energy usage data at the granular level they need to spot unnecessary consumption. While half-hourly settlement and


smart metering can provide insight into top-level usage trends, a deeper dive is necessary to drive ongoing improvements. Businesses must understand how different parts of their building or organisation are consuming energy and where they can make the most significant improvements. With a strong focus on helping businesses achieve their net zero goals, we can offer a range of tools and solutions that can help small businesses make informed decisions about their energy usage and identify opportunities for improvement. As the journey to net zero continues, MRI Energy will be an essential tool for businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve and make informed decisions about their energy usage. ■


EIBI | JULY � AUGUST 2024


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