Energy consumption monitoring is an essential part of managing energy usage in businesses. By keeping track of how much energy is being used, you can identify areas where you can make changes to reduce your energy consumption and save money on your energy bills. However, there are a few common mistakes that businesses make when monitoring their energy consumption. Here are the top five mistakes to avoid:
- Not monitoring energy consumption regularly: To get an accurate picture of your energy usage, it's important to monitor your energy consumption on a regular basis. This could be weekly, monthly, or even daily, depending on the size and complexity of your energy system. By monitoring energy consumption consistently, you'll be able to identify trends and patterns that can help you identify areas where you can make changes to reduce your energy usage.
- Not monitoring all energy-using systems and appliances: It's important to monitor all of the energy-using systems and appliances in your business, not just the major ones. Even small appliances like laptops, phones, and chargers can use a significant amount of energy, and ignoring these appliances can lead to an incomplete picture of your energy usage.
- Not using smart metering: A smart metering system, especially with a comprehensive solution that includes hardware (sensors) and software (platform), measures your energy consumption and sends the data directly to the cloud platform. Thanks to that you can monitor consumption 24/7. Anytime, from everywhere. Companies like Rhino offer remote monitoring, using a cloud-based monitoring platform and tools for analyzing utility consumption with the option of sharing data securely that helps businesses track their energy usage in real-time. Without smart metering, you'll have to rely on more accurate methods of measuring your energy consumption, such as using a power meter or manually tracking your energy usage.
- Not comparing energy usage to benchmarks: To know if you're using more or less energy than you should be, it's important to compare your energy usage to benchmarks. There are many resources available that can help you determine what typical energy usage is for a business of your size and type. By comparing your energy usage to these benchmarks, you'll be able to identify areas where you're using more energy than you should be and make changes to reduce your energy consumption.
- Not taking action to reduce energy consumption: Monitoring energy consumption is only useful if you use the information you gather to make changes to reduce your energy usage. Once you've identified areas where you can make changes to reduce your energy consumption, it's important to take action to implement those changes. This could include things like upgrading to energy-efficient appliances and systems, sealing windows and doors to reduce drafts, or adding insulation to your business. We've previously discussed strategies to reduce your Company's Carbon Footprint.
By avoiding these common mistakes when monitoring energy consumption, you can effectively manage your energy usage and save money on your energy bills. Take the first step towards more awareness of your consumption and contact our consultants via get a free demo from sales@rhino.energy.