Smart Energy Usage Starts with Intelligent Monitoring

With energy costs rising and the pressure amping up for energy usage, there's more of a need for opportunities that offset these challenges. Many cities are transitioning to solutions like smart grids to offset these challenges. Smart grids work as an electricity network that can adjust the supply and demand of energy based on sensors, digital technology, and software. This helps avoid high costs while maintaining the grid's stability as a whole. Although we at Mitsubishi Electric are not a traditional smart grid provider, we do offer different solutions that can help you monitor and minimize your energy usage in cases where your organization may not have direct access to a smart grid.

Why Grid Awareness Matters in Today's Time

There are many reasons why grid awareness is crucial, from using less energy for environmental impacts to being more conscious due to the financial effects and providing insight into how you use energy. Smart grids allow for more grid awareness, control, and monitoring, which can benefit many industries operating on an energy grid overall. Industrial facilities, in particular, are being charged for how much energy they use and how and when they use it. Depending on the scope of work, a facility can use a lot of energy, which is why so many are looking for alternative solutions, such as smart grids or smart monitoring, to keep up with energy consumption and different ways to combat the issues that arise.

Smart Grids vs Traditional Grids

Clean energy transitions are in full swing, and smart grids are alongside that motion. The electricity demand is increasing every day, and this puts more pressure on traditional energy grids. Still, smart grid technology can help to maintain and stabilize the grid, avoiding negative effects from overuse or increased demand. When it comes to a traditional grid, the main component is a one-way flow, which limits real-time control, and it's also more challenging to detect or respond to energy outages. Smart grids, on the other hand, have a two-way communication that allows for energy to flow to and from people and the energy source. This allows for more prompt intervention in the event that a power outage happens. Smart grids are also more adaptable to renewable energy sources and can easily be controlled and monitored.

The First Step to Smarter Energy Use

If you manage or work within an industrial facility, such as a data center, then you might be wondering what your first step to smarter energy use really is. While industrial facilities can represent a significant but generally predictable load on the power grid, it's still important for them to have strategies in place to manage energy use efficiently and avoid unnecessary strain. The first step in this process would be to understand how much energy you're using, how you're using it, and where you're using it. One way to do this easily and efficiently is with energy monitoring sensors. These sensors can be placed on a single electrical panel or multiple panels to gather information or help you build a strategy for smart energy use.

Benefits of Energy Monitoring Sensors:

• Determine if energy-intensive processes or machinery are within your facility
• Detect abnormalities such as spikes in energy usage
• Log time-of-use patterns to see when energy is being used most

Knowing the ins and outs of where your energy is going and how much energy you're really using can help you identify the best ways to help consume less energy or devise a smart energy use plan for your facility. Whether you're operating on a smart grid or a traditional grid, our EcoAdviser solution is a great way to monitor the metrics that matter when using energy to help you consume less energy and push for a more sustainable future.

How EcoAdviser Can Help Your Industrial Facility

EcoAdviser goes hand-in-hand with energy use sensors installed in your facility. It is software that helps to sense and monitor your energy usage. It is a good next best step to identify ways to conserve energy, as it collects analytics and data regarding energy usage for a closer look at what may be happening behind the scenes, especially if you are not within a smart grid. Customers are typically charged based on kilowatt usage and demand charges. EcoAdviser helps facilities improve efficiency by identifying areas of energy waste, such as improper motor use or unbalanced voltages, so that they can reduce costs effectively. EcoAdviser is a good solution to understand those other factors and make cuts into energy usage where it makes the most sense.

What Can EcoAdviser Detect?

Peak Hour Usage: This helps to understand when you're using the most energy, so you know the best times to cut certain areas to save energy during those heavy usage hours.

Unbalanced Three-Phase Loads: EcoAdviser monitors if there are unbalanced loads, where they are, when they're happening, and why they are happening.

Motor Efficiency: It helps you to understand if your system is running efficiently and where there might be opportunities for changes or improvements, and upgrades.

Energy Conservation Measures: EcoAdviser helps you to measure the effects of energy conservation methods and whether they are making a true difference in your energy usage by choosing a time and comparing the results.

Start Saving by Monitoring and Predicting

After you've installed sensors and started using EcoAdviser, you can begin saving where it counts. Understanding your usage, areas of improvement, and why your usage is the way it is, then you'll be able to track and predict these outcomes. It allows for real-time monitoring so that you can make adjustments immediately and save on energy use. Not only this, but it creates long-term savings once you understand the ins and outs of your facility. All of this will work to help devise a plan for smart energy usage for your industrial facility. Overall, smart grids are a great solution or alternative to using a traditional grid, but using our EcoAdviser solution is a crucial step to understanding and monitoring your energy usage, regardless of which type of grid you're operating on. If you are looking for a way to devise a smart energy plan, starting with using smart grids and installing our EcoAdviser solution should be your first step.

Prepare for a Greener Future with Smart Grids

Smart grids are evolving as they push to use more clean energy and lower energy usage. Since industrial facilities use a majority of this energy, they have the most opportunity to lower energy usage and create a plan that may help smart grids in the future. The first step is to understand your impact. At Mitsubishi Electric, we have multiple solutions to help facilities monitor and analyze their energy usage. Once you understand your facility's energy impact, then cost and energy savings, control, and sustainability are in your near future.

If you're ready to take that first step to smart energy use with smart sensors and our EcoAdviser, contact us. The sooner you make the change, the more savings you'll gain, and the better impact you'll have on creating a more sustainable future.

Want notifications for new Blogs, White Papers, Case Studies & Webinars?

Return to Blogs

How Can We Help You?

Contact Sales

Request a Product Quote

Join Us

Contact Support