UK based energy management specialist, t-mac Technologies, is redefining energy control with its approach to the efficiency of building management.
The company advises it is pushing ahead with its rationale to incorporate the energy management function into the traditional building management system (BMS).
“The full rethink and subsequent rebrand of the BMS into BeMS – a building energy management system – is now upon us.” explains Lisa Wilkinson, Director at t-mac Technologies. “The two main offenders – rising fuel prices and carbon footprint monitoring – have inevitably made the traditional BMS a thing of the past, the age of full time energy monitoring and metering is here.”
Crucially Lisa highlights that the t-mac BeMS is much more than simply putting meters on a BMS: “BeMS require metering to identify and quantify, control of equipment performance and use, linking cooling and heating systems, managing internal and external conditions and educating and engaging stakeholders.”
However, the main hurdle to a BeMS is often the human one: “Energy management and therefore energy reduction and financial savings is a continuous journey and not a one fix solution.
“Monitoring and managing energy use is much like losing weight, like a healthy diet and exercise you can’t keep the pounds off with one approach alone and ultimately you can’t reduce energy without monitoring and managing it.
“From our research we know that a one off approach to energy management won’t reap returns but a long term approach coupled with getting people – as well as software – on board can make significant reductions.”
The company’s claims its rationale for the BeMS is born out of the theory that building managers need to understand the energy consumption of a building as well as the areas and activities within that building. Along with the fact it is vital to minimise what energy is being used and wasted, where and when.
The company adds that mains metering and sub metering can help acquire the information of the energy use and the use of intelligent software that will analyse and therefore identify and quantify inefficiencies is key. Control strategies can then be put in place to stop those inefficiencies.
The company claims its t-mac BeMS device and energy software can create savings of up to 30 percent and offers a ROI of 12-18 months.
t-mac Technologies’ 10-step guide to building a BeMS strategy
- Understand the energy consumption of your building – via mains metering.
- Understand the energy consumption of your buildings areas and activities – via sub-metering.
- Analyse your energy profiles – via software
- Identify and quantify inefficiencies – via software
- Take action against inefficiencies – via control strategies
- Quantify the change in consumption – via software
- Realise that it’s a continuous journey of identify, change, quantify – via software and controls
- Report to building occupiers as well as business owners
- Educate all building occupiers as well as business owners on how people can influence energy reduction
- Engage with building occupiers to help continue to reduce energy
t-mac Technologies
