Why do you get inaccurate energy data?

No buildings are exactly alike. This is especially true for commercial buildings, ranging from historical museums and massive warehouses to modern offices and multifunctional buildings.

While the challenges vary, we often encounter four recurring issues when it comes to the quality of energy data measurement:

1. Installation errors

The most common source for errors are human errors during installation. 

In a complex main panel with many components, clamps are being attached to the wrong phase, in the wrong order or the wrong way. The consequence is that while the graph may look correct, the measurements are wrong. 

These errors are extremely common - especially if the hardware was installed without a specific plan for usage.

This is hard to avoid and even harder to detect and often requires a significant amount of manual troubleshooting. 

2. Meter dimensioning errors

Another common mistake is using meters that are not equipped for the job. 

Think of it like baking—you wouldn’t use a bathroom scale to measure a pinch of salt. It simply wouldn’t capture the small differences in weight you need.

The same goes for energy measurement. Some meters are designed to track megawatts when kilowatts would be a better fit.

As a result, you won’t see your energy usage until it reaches the megawatt range, causing big jumps in the data. 

3. Neglected maintenance

Like any other technical equipment, measurement infrastructure needs regular maintenance. Without it, the quality of the data will deteriorate over time.

Few people have solid routines for restarting or upgrading meters. We tend to assume that if it worked yesterday, it will work today. But this can lead to unnoticed data loss or gradual drift in measurements.

We also see significant variations in the quality of sub-meters. The cheapest options often require far more maintenance and troubleshooting than slightly more expensive, higher-quality alternatives.

4. Data gaps

Has the power gone out or the network dropped? Maybe an employee unplugged something? Any of these can cause the meter to disconnect, creating gaps in your data.

This happens more often than you might think. And unless you’re actively monitoring the data flow, it can take a while to notice—by then, the data is already lost.

The solution?

To maintain high quality data is both time and resource demanding, but it’s a necessary task to maximize the impact of energy efficiency investments and ensure accurate reporting and cost allocation.

This is why we have made this our specialty and offer energy data as a service. The hassle remains, but it doesn't have to be yours.

We specialize in everything from selecting and installing hardware to ongoing monitoring and data quality assurance. While we can’t eliminate errors entirely, we help you detect them and find the best way to correct them.

By choosing a solution that uses us as a data provider, you can be confident that the quality of your energy data is well taken care of.