What is an energy management system (EMS)?

Conducting efficient energy management cannot be done without an energy management system (EMS). How does such a system work and what are its advantages? Sensorfact’s energy experts explain!

Table of contents

What is energy management?

To know what an energy management system is, it is first important to know what energy management entails. Energy management is managing, influencing and monitoring the energy consumption of a building or business.

Through energy management, energy consumption can be reduced. This is done by mapping out energy flows and then taking energy-saving measures.

Energy expenditure is a major cost item for companies. After labor and material costs, companies spend the most money on energy. With current energy prices, that share has only increased.

Benefits of energy management

Energy management leads to reduced energy consumption. This has several benefits.

  • Saving on energy costs

The prices of energy had already risen enormously, and the war in Ukraine has increased them even further. As a result, more and more companies are struggling with their profitability. Energy management can reduce this huge cost.

With Sensorfact’s technology, customers save an average of 10-15% on energy bills, but savings of 30% have also been known. Some of our customers save more than €100,000 per year.

  • Compliance

Due to ‘The Green Deal’ of the European Union, more and more laws and regulations on energy consumption are coming into force. The standards for consumption are becoming stricter and stricter in order to combat climate change.

Medium-sized companies are therefore faced with more regulations. A number of laws and regulations to which energy management relates are:

  • The EED audit requirement
  • The Environmental Management Activities Decree
  • The CO2 performance ladder (if a company wants to be certified for this)
  • The obligation to provide information about energy savings

Thus, implementing energy management with an associated energy management system makes it easier for a company to comply with regulations.

In addition, healthy energy management contributes to your corporate social responsibility. By reducing your energy consumption you contribute to a healthier planet. Nowadays, many customers consider it important that your business is climate-friendly. An EMS contributes to this.

What is an energy management system (EMS)?

It is now clear what the point of implementing energy management is. So what is an energy management system?

An energy management system is the combination of hardware and software that enables energy management. Often an EMS can be read from one central point, for example an online dashboard.

The hardware of an energy management system often consists of sensors and bridges. Smart algorithms are the software of the system. These process the data and recommend energy-saving measures.

ISO 50001 and an energy management system

Energy management cannot be separated from ISO 50001. ISO 50001 is the international standard for energy management systems. Companies that use the right energy management systems and thus work on their energy efficiency qualify for the standard.

In many countries, the NEN manages the ISO 50001 standard, but it does not issue the certificates itself. If you think your company qualifies for the ISO 50001 standard, you need to hire a company that is allowed to issue the certificates.

These companies will then visit you to see if you meet all the legal requirements. For example, your EMS must be focused on continuous improvement of energy management. If you meet the requirements, you will be awarded the certificate.

With Sensorfact’s energy management, you meet one of the requirements of the ISO 50001 standard. Implementing our EMS will therefore bring you one step closer to ISO 50001 certification.

What does an energy management system cost?

The price of an energy management system can vary tremendously depending on the size of your business. Therefore, it is difficult to put a price tag on an EMS.

At Sensorfact, we use a subscription model for our hardware and software. You can cancel your subscription annually. This makes it easy for you to assess whether our energy management system is paying you more than it is costing you. Because of this model, there is no large investment before you can start saving.

Would you like to receive a quote based on the size of your business? Then fill out this form and receive a quote within 5 minutes!

Is an energy management system mandatory?

For many (medium) sized companies, energy management is mandatory. Companies with more than 250 employees, a turnover higher than 50 million euro or a balance sheet total of 43 million euro are obliged to install an EMS.

EMS Mandatory

Sensorfact’s energy management system: save up to 15% on your energy bill

Sensorfact’s EMS gives you easy insight into your energy consumption via an online dashboard. This way you eliminate industrial energy waste. We deliver a complete energy management solution with sensors, software analysis and advice.

Our wireless sensors measure energy consumption every 30 seconds. This data is sent via a bridge to our software. The algorithms then analyze the savings opportunities. Together with our consultants, they help you implement and track savings.

Sensorfact’s energy management system gives you insight into your energy consumption. Our EMS offers you the following possibilities:

  • Monitor energy flows
  • Create an energy balance
  • Export your data (manually)
  • Integrate sensor data into your own platform
  • Prevent energy waste by setting up alerts

A complete energy management solution

Our energy management solution does not only consist of an energy management system. With an energy consultation from our consultant, we offer you a complete energy management solution. This offers you the following possibilities:

  • Receive concrete and action-oriented savings advice
  • Receive a customized energy scan
  • Find the right suppliers with our supplier network
  • Get a discount on your savings investments
  • Follow the progress of the implemented savings

Customer experiences with our energy management system

Sensorfact now has more than 1000 customers throughout Europe. All of them are committed to efficient energy management. Some of them have shared their experience of Sensorfact with us.

Berry | PET Power

After installing Sensorfact’s hardware and software, the company’s energy consumption was made transparent.

By installing sensors on four machines and providing energy advice, €28,000 was saved within four months. At Berry | PET Power, energy waste was dealt with in three steps.

First, the energy waste per shift was analyzed. Then, the potential savings of €28,000 were identified. Finally, by analyzing the energy flows, Berry | PET Power gained more influence on its operations.

Initially, sensors were installed on all machines. This way, the most important machines were mapped out.

These sensors measured data and provided insight. Our energy consultants then showed how this data could be used to gain insight into energy consumption.

This process led to data-driven insights, which indicated in which phases of production the most energy waste occurred. Based on these insights, the possible savings measures were mapped out.

All this led to a saving of €28,000 on an annual basis. Most savings were found in hydraulic pumps, dryers and chillers.

Dunlop

Shoe manufacturer Dunlop realized a 10% reduction in energy consumption through air compressor optimization.

André Douma, Global Quality & Improvement Manager, is responsible for improving operational processes and reducing production costs. He and his team saw the great opportunity to save on their biggest energy consumer: electricity.

Dunlop’s sustainability program, cost savings program, and the result of an EED audit initiated the project to reduce energy consumption. We set a goal of reducing our energy consumption by 25%. To achieve this goal, we needed an Energy Management solution to give us visibility into energy consumption by machine.

Sensorfact’s solution helped them achieve this goal. Dunlop will keep Sensorfact as a partner to monitor their energy consumption and ensure their zero-waste mindset.

“By reducing our energy costs, we can directly reduce the total cost of production per unit produced. The savings opportunities implemented have already resulted in a 10% reduction in the energy consumption of our air compressors.”