Energy reports can be a huge asset to any business, but only if the content is properly understood. The energy reports can be used as a powerful tool. Designed to meet each client’s individual needs, energy reports can be adapted to show as much or as little information as necessary. As a general rule, energy reports are delivered to businesses on a monthly basis and can include the following information:
Energy Report Executive Summary
Each energy report will include and executive summary. This section highlights the key findings of the energy report including energy patterns and trends.
Energy Report Recommendations
The energy report recommendations section identifies areas for further investigation as well as providing suggestions to improve business energy efficiency. These are usually energy saving advisories and energy efficiency initiatives.
Energy Bill Verification
As part of the energy report, your business utilities bills will be checked. Using gas, electric and water data collected by a remote energy monitoring system, the site’s actual energy consumption figures can be compared to the monthly supplier invoice. This checks whether the client is being billed correctly for what they have actually used and identify whether it is on the correct and most competitive business energy rates.
The bill verification section of the energy report may also highlight if there are any discrepancies with the bills, additional charges such as power factor correction or exceeded capacity charge and when contracts expire or there is change of energy supplier/contract, any default rates can be identified.
Electric, Gas and Water Consumption Graphs/ Charts
By using half-hourly data, a number of different charts and graphs are used within the energy report to demonstrate where and when your business is using energy.
It is possible to see how much energy is being consumed in each half-hourly period of each day. It is also possible to observe daily consumption totals, weekly consumption totals or monthly consumption totals.
Using historical consumption data, patterns can be identified. For example, comparing how much energy is used in the summer compared to the winter, and how much energy is consumed in the present year compared to previous years. Patterns can also be related to building occupancy e.g. how much energy is consumed during working hours compared to out-of-hours periods.
Energy reports can look at the higher level energy consumption initially, by monitoring and analysing the main utility tariff meters. Then, with the use of an intelligent sub-metering system, it will be possible to break down the electrical consumption by floor, area, tenant, retail unit or individual appliance.
Using this information, tenants and retail units can be billed accurately for what they use and be more energy aware.
Heating & Cooling Degree Day Analysis
Something we are often asked to include in our energy reports is Heating and Cooling Degree Day Analysis. Degree Day Analysis details the relationship between energy consumption & the outside air temperature.
It would be expected that during winter months, (in a gas heating building) more gas would be used and during the summer months, more electrical (Chillers) consumption would be apparent.
Energy Reports For Energy Drive
The monthly energy reports can be shared with all building users to increase awareness of energy efficiency at work. Because energy reports are provided on a regular basis, this boosts the motivation and drive for energy efficiency.
Finally, in buildings where energy initiatives are being implemented, energy reports are a wonderful device for monitoring and tracking the progress and effect of the works. By monitoring the energy consumption before, during and after the energy initiatives, it is possible to identify and quantify any energy savings.
