In today’s world, energy efficiency is a top priority for businesses. Energy costs are rising, and the impact of energy consumption on the environment is becoming increasingly clear. In response, you’ve made the decision to install an energy management platform and embrace energy automation—but what steps do you have to take to prepare? If you’re considering implementing GridPoint’s energy management system in your building, there are several things you can do to ready your building for energy automation.
What is Energy Automation
Energy automation refers to the use of advanced technologies and systems to optimize the generation, distribution, and consumption of energy. It involves the integration of various components such as sensors, smart meters, data analytics, and an Energy Management System (EMS) to enable efficient and intelligent management of energy consumption and building assets.
Why Automate?
Implementing energy automation and an energy management system can bring numerous benefits to a company. Firstly, it allows for greater control and optimization of energy usage, leading to significant cost savings. By monitoring energy consumption in real-time and identifying inefficiencies, companies can implement strategies to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency.
Additionally, energy automation helps companies align with sustainability goals and reduce their environmental footprint. By actively managing energy resources, companies can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.
Finally, by employing smart algorithms, sensors, and advanced controls to automate your energy and HVAC usage significantly reduces the wear and tear on your HVAC system, prolonging its lifespan. Real-time monitoring facilitated by automation can detect potential problems so you can identify and address issues earlier, preventing costly breakdowns.
The cumulative effect of these efficiencies is a reduction in both energy costs and the frequency of expensive equipment replacements.
Steps to Preparing Your Building
1.Conduct an Energy Audit
Before you can effectively implement energy automation, you need to know where your building’s energy is going. Conducting an energy audit will help you identify areas of inefficiency and determine where you can make changes. An energy audit will typically involve analyzing your building’s energy usage, surveying the building’s energy systems, and identifying areas where energy usage can be reduced.
2. Upgrade Your Building’s Energy Systems
Once you’ve identified areas where your building is using excessive energy, it’s time to start making changes. Upgrading your building’s energy systems is one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption. This might involve upgrading your HVAC system, implementing predictive maintenance strategies, replacing outdated lighting fixtures with LED bulbs, or installing an energy management system.
3. Install Smart Hardware
Smart hardware plays a crucial role in ensuring a proficient energy management system and automation. It encompasses a variety of devices, such as energy meters, thermostats, and asset sensors for monitoring refrigeration temperature, lighting control, and other assets. By employing smart hardware, facility managers gain real-time insights into energy usage and can pinpoint opportunities for consumption reduction. The installation of smart hardware is a seamless process, usually handled by your EMS provider. Once these smart devices are in place, an energy management system can be utilized to analyze data and implement changes aimed at minimizing your building’s energy consumption.
4. Integrate Your Building’s Energy Systems with GridPoint
To get the most out of GridPoint’s energy management system, you need to integrate your building’s systems with a GridPoint Controller that is connected to the GridPoint thermostat, sensors, meters, and the GridPoint software solution. This integration is handled by GridPoint and will allow you to monitor your building’s energy usage in real-time and make changes to reduce energy consumption. GridPoint’s software is user-friendly and intuitive, so even if you’re not a technical expert, you will be able to use it easily and effectively.
5. Train Your Staff
An EMS won’t be effective without proper training and support for staff. Encouraging team members to utilize these systems can help buildings meet their energy automation goals by training them on how to use an EMS properly, when to make setpoint (or temperature) overrides, and the importance of maintaining low energy usage.
GridPoint’s energy management system is designed with facility managers in mind, emphasizing intuitive use and streamlined access to vital information. The UI is structured to provide a clear, at-a-glance view of energy consumption and asset monitoring patterns, allowing you to make informed decisions without needing specialized training. With user-friendly navigation, managers can effortlessly customize settings, create schedules, and monitor real-time data. By minimizing complexity and focusing on an intuitive design, GridPoints ensures that managing a building’s energy needs becomes an accessible and straightforward task.
If you and your team still need assistance: Gridpoint’s customer success team collaborates closely with customers to provide comprehensive training for their employees. This training covers the efficient utilization of GridPoint’s software and controllers, ensuring that customers gain the necessary expertise to achieve their energy reduction objectives with success.
6. Set Goals and Track Progress
Finally, it’s important to set goals for energy automation and track your progress toward those goals. This will help your company stay motivated and ensure you’re making progress toward reducing energy consumption. You might set a goal to reduce energy consumption by 30% in the first year, for example. By tracking your progress, you’ll be able to identify areas where you’re falling short and make changes to get back on track.
Get Started Today
Implementing GridPoint’s energy management system in your building can be a great way to reduce energy consumption and save money. By taking a few simple steps to prepare your building for automation you can ensure success.
Conducting an energy audit, upgrading your building’s energy systems, installing smart meters, integrating your building’s energy systems with GridPoint, training your staff, and setting goals, will put you well on your way to achieving your energy efficiency goals. With the right preparation, implementing energy automation can be a straightforward and effective process.