An Introduction to an Energy Monitoring Dashboard
Monday, 27th June 2022
Implementing an energy monitoring solution is one of the most important ways in which you can make your building more energy efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly. But in order for your solution to have a meaningful impact, it needs to come with an easy and intuitive energy monitoring dashboard.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, buildings use some 40% of global energy. They also emit about a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, making them the single largest contributor globally.
You might have a sense of this already, especially if your energy bill is one of the highest costs on your monthly list of expenses, and if your ESG score is cause for concern.
But there’s good news. Through simple and effective innovations, such as those offered by Infogrid, your building’s energy consumption can be reduced by up to 80%. All you need is the right solution with the right dashboard so that you can make the right decisions at the right time.
Let’s take a closer look.
What is an energy monitoring dashboard?
An energy monitoring dashboard is the interface you use to manage your energy monitoring solution. It should give you easy and immediate access to all the information you need to monitor and adjust your energy usage in real time.
Some of the key insights the Infogrid energy monitoring dashboard offers include:
Identifying inefficiencies. Are there areas in your building consuming too much energy? Could some be shut down entirely when they’re not in use? What about your equipment—could you be optimising your energy use there? Spotting inefficiencies can optimise your performance, save you unnecessary expense, and help to reduce your C02 emissions.
Predicting maintenance. An HVAC system that isn’t connected to your smart energy monitoring solution could malfunction for weeks without anyone noticing. But this is precisely the sort of thing your Infogrid dashboard is designed to detect and alert you to. Minimise disruptions and downtime by addressing issues when—or better, before—they occur.
Planning your financial future. Knowing exactly what next month’s energy costs are likely to be helps you plan ahead and eliminates unwelcome surprises.
Staying in line with regulations. Keeping on top of your industry’s constantly shifting emissions regulations is a business imperative. It’s both the right thing to do and shareholders and other stakeholders expect it. Stay in the clear by knowing exactly what your energy use and emissions are at any point in time.
Looking for a practical example? We helped a supermarket save $1.6 million a year on energy costs just by introducing our energy monitoring solution and dashboard into their HVAC system.
Where do dashboards fit into intelligent building systems?
Let’s do a quick recap here. What is an intelligent building?
An intelligent building uses advanced and integrated technology systems to support your employees, drive efficiencies, and reduce costs. These systems typically involve sensors that are powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Together, they gather important data so that you can monitor different aspects of your building in real time.
If you’d like to find out more, you can read about the benefits of intelligent building systems, and explore some examples and opportunities.
At Infogrid, our dashboard is the last in our three-step intelligent building system process. Here’s how it fits into the bigger picture.
Smart sensors. Our smart building solution starts with the world’s smallest, easy-to- install, zero-maintenance IoT sensors. Deploy them across your building portfolio and they’ll collect data on energy use, indoor air quality (IAQ), occupancy, footfall, viral risk, and more.
AI system. Real-time data from our sensors are fed through AI algorithms to provide you with targeted, actionable insights you can use to optimise your buildings.
A central dashboard for data tracking. Here’s where our dashboard comes in. All of this information is fed in real time to a central portal that you can access wherever you are. It all fits on a single screen, no matter the size of your portfolio.
The whole system is quicker and easier to install than you might think, and the average ROI of Infogrid’s energy monitoring is over 200% once installed. What’s more, it can help to reduce the carbon footprint of your building by up to 10%.
What are the benefits of an energy monitoring dashboard?
And once it’s all configured, and you have your energy monitoring dashboard on hand, what are some of the benefits you’re likely to notice?
You have everything in one place. Infogrid’s central dashboard allows you to receive, track, and act on critical data in real time. It gives you a holistic perspective on everything you need to know.
You have actionable insights on hand. Is part of your energy system performing poorly? Does something need to be maintained or upgraded? Are you missing opportunities to reduce your emissions and save costs? Your dashboard will tell you.
You’re on your way to becoming net zero. The journey to net zero is a complex one, but it can’t be done without paying close attention to your energy usage. Through the insights your energy monitoring dashboard offers, you can make meaningful change. We helped a retail company save 800 tonnes of CO2 per year.
What other areas does an energy monitoring system affect?
By closely monitoring your energy performance, you’re likely to experience a positive knock-on effect in other areas of your building, too. Your dashboard will tell you if one of your HVAC units is overheating, for example, which could mean that it’s not properly ventilating a certain area, and that your IAQ is suffering.
Similarly, doors and windows that don’t close properly not only pose a fire risk but could also increase your energy usage unnecessarily. Install Infogrid’s door and window monitoring system to mitigate this.
Read the case study: Door and window monitoring: Improving fire safety for a student accommodation provider
Tracking the occupancy of your rooms will let you know which ones need to be well-lit most of the time, and which ones can be placed on timers and darkened when they’re not in use.
Through your energy monitoring dashboard, you’ll be able to access all of this information and more, and so gain a comprehensive view of your building’s overall health and how you might improve it.
Start your energy efficiency-enhancing, cost-saving, and CO2-limiting journey with Infogrid today. Watch our demo for more information or contact us to tell us more about what you need. We’re here to help.
