Reduce energy & help the planet

12. April 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Energy Management Systems, Energy Saving Solutions · Tags: , ,

Business could save £1bn through energy behaviour change

British companies could save as much as £1bn on their energy bills by changing their ‘energy behaviours’ rather than rely on technical solutions, according to Npower energy experts as reported in the Telegraph this week. Each company could save between 3-15pc, or an average saving of 9pc, the supplier added.

Npower Business Solutions, a division of the Big Six supplier, said that it has already helped customers to drive bills down by £26m after acquiring an energy management firm which specialises in company habits.

Npower snapped up the RUMM energy consultancy in April last year as part of the company’s plan to grow within the increasingly competitive business supply market.

A spokeswoman for the supplier said Npower is targeting total savings of £1bn for its energy customers by focusing on RUMM’s behavioural approach to energy saving for with their sophisticated energy management software and business energy reduction UK
gasEach company could save between 3-15pc, or an average saving of 9pc, the supplier added.

Npower’s Phil Griffiths said: “It often surprises businesses to find out that non-technical savings are usually greater than technical savings. Through learning about your energy habits, it is easy to make subtle, low-cost and effective changes to help keep down your energy bills. It’s already produced clear and proven benefits for firms, big and small, saving businesses we have worked with over £26m.”

The supplier refers to its behaviour analysts as “carbon psychologists” and says that the experts can design energy saving programmes by addressing employee energy habits to help them adopt more energy efficient ways of working.

A study from trade group Energy UK found that the business supply market has seen a consistent increase in competitiveness in recent years. Currently there are 24 suppliers active in the business market of which over a fifth joined the market last year.

Click here to find out more on Energy Reduction in Manufacturing and how to conduct behaviour change and decide which behaviour project you should choose to action.

npower Business Solutions

13. March 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Energy Management Systems, Energy Saving Solutions · Tags: , ,

 

npower

Things are constantly changing in the energy sector with many new surprises such as the new Demand Turn Up scheme from National Grid. The idea is that during periods of high renewable generation when the Grid finds it has more energy than it can use, energy-intensive consumers would be encouraged to use more. By either turning off onsite generation from, for example, combined heat and power (CHP) plant or by running an energy-intensive process, such as smelting at a foundry or pumping water at a sewage treatment plant.

A pilot scheme which will run over the summer when wind and solar generation can be high and electricity demand is typically low. Participating businesses will be notified in advance of the extra available energy then, if they respond, they can boost productivity for minimal extra cost plus receive a payment for doing so.

Currently, on very windy days, when output from renewable generation is high the National Grid will turn large power stations down. Or wind turbines themselves may need to be turned off, simply because the power they generate cannot be used.

Filling the energy storage gap

As energy storage technologies become viable utilising energy management solutions it’s likely that storing this extra renewable energy until needed becomes a more cost-effective option. I recently blogged about a 640kWh battery storage system being trailed by Western Power Distribution at a solar farm in Somerset.

Although battery storage systems are predicted to become more efficient and the current high costs to fall, they are not yet able to provide a wide-scale commercial solution to balancing supply and demand. So it will be interesting to see how National Grid’s Demand Turn Up scheme fares.

If you are in any Industry sectors such as Energy Reduction in Manufacturing and looking for ways to reduce energy consumption, click here to find out more and get the information required.

Play your part in reducing energy

09. February 2016 · Write a comment · Categories: Energy Management Systems, Energy Saving Solutions · Tags: , ,

 

There are numerous actions a business can take to reduce energy costs and Carbon Reduction Wales. Energy management Services plays a key role but it’s also important not to overlook the other end of the process – the steps you take before that precious energy even reaches you; that is, the deal you sign up to and the way you manage energy purchasing.

To do this thoroughly and professionally requires a fully integrated energy strategy that includes the energy purchasing cycle particularly Energy Reduction in Manufacturing.

         

There are numerous variables, enormous volatility in prices and an endless array of contract options. But while this may be daunting, getting it right can deliver major savings and significant competitive advantages.

The three aspects of buying gas and electricity that make them different from most other products or services you purchase are the timing of the purchase, your company’s appetite for risk and the skills and knowledge needed to get it right.

Timing
Timing is crucial because market prices fluctuate quickly and massively. Some changes are foreseeable, such as seasonal demand, while others, such as unrest in the Middle East, can sometimes be totally unforeseen and could send energy prices soaring in hours.

Consequently, you must clearly understand markets and the forces driving them and constantly monitor them to both take advantage of opportunities as they arise and avoid being caught flat-footed.

Risk
Different businesses have different appetites for risk and this has a profound influence on energy purchasing. Most contracts are either “fixed term” or “flexible”, the latter giving a degree of control over prices and potentially make savings – but at greater risk.

To find a contract with the right level of risk for your business you need to know the options available.

Skills and knowledge
Finally, if you are responsible for energy procurement you must be familiar with the myriad of different opportunities provided by energy suppliers and negotiate with them to get the best deals.

In all these things, familiarity, experience and industry knowledge are crucial. Energy purchasing has become an increasingly specialist full-time role and an industry of experts has grown up to operate between energy suppliers and business users. Companies like UES Energy constantly monitor market fluctuations and the full spectrum of suppliers’ contracts to help clients find the best options.

RUMM energy saving technology

13. November 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Energy Management Systems, Energy Saving Solutions · Tags: , ,

Set the blue print for your company with RUMM leaders in Energy Management Software and services. Is your company doing their part in saving energy by reducing energy consumption and being aware of the impact of energy saving on the environment? Ensure energy reduction in manufacturing is a priority within your company.

You might be wondering what sets RUM apart from their competitors and why you would consider RUMM, I will tell you why its RUMM’s superior energy management software called IBASS 4?

RUMM IBASS 4 enables the user to interrogate the database that hold the ½ hourly consumption profiles for visualisation, analysis, alarming and reporting on all the data stored. It is RUMM’s proprietary energy management software suite and forms the framework upon which RUMM delivers its energy management services.

IBASS is configured as part of the sub-metering installation process to accommodate the sub-metering system profile to complete the aM&T system.

IBASS is a software suite that enables the visualisation of consumption profiles, constructs user defined reports and targets energy consumption using advanced analysis and alarming. It has been developed by Energy Managers for the end-user energy management perspective so that it is intuitive.

It is the primary tool used by RUMM’s energy account managers to offer energy management services for customers. Our customer’s utilise the power and flexibility of it too. It’s a product that has attracted interest from the “big 6” utility suppliers.

RUMM IBASS 5 – Launched into the market in July 2014, IBASS 5 is the smart phone and tablet enabled version of the IBASS product it has many additional features including a new look and feel, with dashboards and KPI reporting which continues to keep our offering ahead of the marketplace.

An example of the new version IBASS 5 screens is given below:

IBASS 5 KPI normalised Energy Management Software (IBASS)

RUMM IBASS 5 will have cutting edge dashboards and KPI reports with data available for mobile devices. It is being built using the latest .NET technologies. The .NET Framework 4.5 and ASP.NET MVC 5. This helps provide a sophisticated, scalable application that is based upon known standards and offers compatibility across a range of devices from desktop web clients to roaming IPADs.

It is a pure SaaS model and provides multi-threaded simultaneous concurrent web browsing from anywhere in world.

IBASS 5 mobile Energy Management Software (IBASS)

Mobile Enabled IBASS 5 Screenshots

Screenshot Example – Menu Options in Tablet Format

IBASS 5 menu Energy Management Software (IBASS)

Screenshot Example – Dashboard/KPI Reports to Mobile Devices

IBASS 5 KPI mobile Energy Management Software (IBASS)

Remote Utility Monitoring & Management

06. August 2015 · Write a comment · Categories: Energy Management Systems, Energy Saving Solutions · Tags: , ,

Don’t leave your energy saving measures half finished

AD 1311 small 300x199 Don’t leave your energy saving measures half finished

By Andrew Diplock, Managing Director, UES Energy

There are numerous actions that can be taken in the quest for Business energy reduction reducing costs and lower carbon emissions. Energy management plays a key role but it’s also important not to overlook the other end of the process – the steps you take before that precious energy even reaches you; that is, the deal you sign up to and the way you manage energy purchasing.

To do this thoroughly and professionally requires a fully integrated energy strategy that includes the energy purchasing cycle.

Unfortunately, this is often overlooked – sometimes because such measures as incorporating energy management products are more tangible, but often because buying energy cost-effectively is complicated.

There are numerous variables, enormous volatility in prices and an endless array of contract options. But while this may be daunting, getting it right can deliver major savings and significant competitive advantages.

The three aspects of buying gas and electricity that make them different from most other products or services you purchase are the timing of the purchase, your company’s appetite for risk and the skills and knowledge needed to get it right.

Timing
Timing is crucial because market prices fluctuate quickly and massively. Some changes are foreseeable, such as seasonal demand, while others, such as unrest in the Middle East, can sometimes be totally unforeseen and could send energy prices soaring in hours.

Consequently, you must clearly understand markets and the forces driving them and constantly monitor them to both take advantage of opportunities as they arise and avoid being caught flat-footed.

Risk
Different businesses have different appetites for risk and this has a profound influence on energy purchasing. Most contracts are either “fixed term” or “flexible”, the latter giving a degree of control over prices and potentially make savings – but at greater risk.

To find a contract with the right level of risk for your business you need to know the options available for Business energy reduction UK.

Skills and knowledge
Finally, if you are responsible for energy procurement you must be familiar with the myriad of different opportunities provided by energy suppliers and negotiate with them to get the best deals.

In all these things, familiarity, experience and industry knowledge are crucial. Energy purchasing has become an increasingly specialist full-time role and an industry of experts has grown up to operate between energy suppliers and business users. Companies like UES Energy constantly monitor market fluctuations and the full spectrum of suppliers’ contracts to help clients find the best options.

Premium airline seating manufacturer Contour Aerospace (now part of Zodiac Aerospace Group), were one company who saw the value in working with energy professionals and following great results from RUMM on their energy management, turned to UES Energy for advice for their energy purchasing.

Finance Director Alison Baker said: “(UES Energy) approach to energy procurement focuses on avoiding unnecessary cost and their advice on the timing of contract placement is backed up with detailed market intelligence. Their quality of service is reassuring and a stark difference to our previous energy broker.”

For more information on how professional energy consultants can help you purchase and manage your energy efficiently and effectively, click here Energy Reduction in Manufacturing.