Douglas Weinrich, regional executive at Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions South Africa, says companies can't know where to save on energy unless they can accurately measure their usage.
"The first step in any corporate energy management programme is to determine total energy usage and spend. This is not only necessary to set realistic goals. It is also critical to document the success of the programme both internally and for external stakeholders," he says.
The collection of usage data has always been manual, and therefore vulnerable to human error. For this reason, Weinrich recommends a central database of utility usage.
"If businesses want in-depth, accurate energy usage information, smart metering is the way forward. By recording energy consumption on a regular basis, every half hour for instance, new metering technologies allow the user to establish a true pattern of energy usage and help identify any unusual trends," says Weinrich.
Smart metering helps discover any malfunctioning equipment, areas of wastage, unusual peak loads and unauthorised usage. Although the initial costs are high, Weinrich believes that the ultimate savings could amount to hundreds of thousands of rands annually.
He also mentions the necessity of bill validation for companies, as many are unable to produce their energy bills for the past year.
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