When working with energy efficiency, many companies naturally address the highest peaks. Doing so, many tend to overlook the less viable energy drains that run in the background.
If a building use unnecessary energy during periods with minimal demand, significant savings potentially exist with a few adjustments.
The challenge lies in identifying these adjustments.
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There are several common mistakes and errors that contribute to high base loads. One example is that building management systems (BMS) and automation often do not function as intended - and there is no way of controlling that it is.
Ventilation and lighting might be on during closing hours, or heating and cooling systems work against each other for extended periods.
Although most of these system errors might only consume a few megawatts, they do so every hour, every single day. If you manage to close these small leaks, the total saving potential is substantial.
Most companies only work with the total consumption in buildings. However, to identifying the root causes of a high base load you need to dig deeper: You need submetering.
In addition to the main intake, we recommend measuring the largest circuits to get an understanding of where the energy actually is consumed. The goal should be that a minimum portion of the energy consumption is unmeasured.
This graph above shows the energy consumption at a museum through 24 hours. The facility manager was surprised by the small difference in consumption between peak hours and when the museum was closed at night. Through submetering, they discovered that six circuits accounted for more than 50 % of the total consumption, and by looking further into these six, they identified inefficiencies in several systems, including water heaters and a malfunctioning heat pump.
With this level of insight, you know exactly where to look for answers—and where your investments and improvements will have the greatest impact.
Acquiring reliable energy data can be both challenging and resource-demanding. This is why we have made energy data our sole purpose. Our goal is to provide a robust foundation for decision-making, enabling smarter choices and energy consumption.