BUSINESS

Smart monitoring technology best way to track energy, water, waste

September 21, 2017

JEDDAH/DUBAI — Smart monitoring platforms are the most effective and cost-efficient way to monitor waste generation and track the consumption of water and energy, says industry experts.

Enova, the regional leader in integrated energy and multi-technical services, is revolutionizing the way companies track their consumption with its state-of-the-art portal – Hubgrade. Developed by its parent company, Veolia, the smart energy management concept utilizes centralized monitoring and the expertise of mobile and on-site technicians to deliver guaranteed savings.

“Enova launched its Energy Saving Centre in the region three years ago and since that time it has collected a significant amount of data, enabling the company to identify and implement energy conservation measures that are tightly monitored and reported upon,” said Enova’s Chief Executive Officer, Anne Le Guennec.

“To build upon this approach, we have recently launched the global platform Hubgrade, a sophisticated data analysis tool which collects, analyses and reports on all resource usage, including waste generation, water and energy use. This ‘hypervision’ concept enables preventive action to tackle inefficiency, thus helping firms slash utilities use by a fifth.”

A 2017 survey by Deloitte, conducted with strategy and market research firm Harrison Group, found that businesses increasingly analyze high-quality data to inform their energy management decisions.

The study, titled Energy Management: Sustainability and Progress, stated that the proportions of those who focus on high-quality energy data and data management – and of those who said that advanced analytical tools were widely deployed – were inching upwards. It added that 42 per cent report that executives have online access to energy information across the organization with drill-down capability, a proportion that has risen steadily over the past two periods surveyed.

Thirty percent of corporate respondents said advanced analytical tools were deployed, while 33 per cent said high-quality energy data and data management existed company-wide.

The findings of the 2017 Study indicate that sustainability is not a fad. US residential consumers and businesses remain committed to reducing their energy consumption and expanding the use of renewables, even as federal policy backs away from environmental protections and climate change action.

The residential consumer results from the 2017 Study showed that:

• Residential consumers don’t perceive affordability and renewables as being mutually exclusive. As in 2016, keeping total energy bills affordable (cited by 59 percent of respondents) and using clean energy sources are the most important energy issues to residential consumers.

• Support for renewables intensified among residential

consumers, with 37 percent citing “increasing the use of solar power” as a top energy issue, rising four points over last year. Twenty-five percent pointed to increasing the use of wind power as a top energy issue, also trending upward four points year-over-year.

• Among those who are solar eligible, about two-thirds

(64 percent) of millennial respondents say they are extremely/very interested in installing solar panels. And more than half of millennial respondents (53 percent) say they are extremely/very interested in purchasing a share in a community or “shared” solar installation.

Among those who are solar eligible, 44 percent say they are extremely/very interested in installing solar panels on their primary residences if they could do so through a financing or leasing arrangement with no out-of-pocket expense.

This proportion has inched upward over the last two surveys. Interest is strongest in the West and weakest in the Northeast, although not considerably less. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of millennial respondents now say they are extremely/very interested in installing solar panels — up nine points over last year. Gen X was a distant second, with about half saying they are extremely/very interested.

Hubgrade can be applied to any type of property, including large, multifunctional buildings, enabling Enova’s energy analysts to assess data against industry best practice and international protocol. By providing a clear, transparent overview of a site’s actual consumption, it identifies areas of optimization and maintenance to be prioritized by the company’s staff on-site. Analysis is based on real-time monitoring and trends, with consumption monitored regularly and compared with benchmark values.

Enova manages over 2,500 sites across the region, including shopping malls, airports, offices, schools, hotels, clinics and residential buildings, and captures and monitors data from 11,000 data points. Thanks to this smart approach, which combines energy services with monitoring and maintenance from the start, costs can be reallocated whereby the energy savings pay not only for the initial investment to implement energy conservation measures, but also for constant consumption monitoring and any potential maintenance needed to improve the operational quality of the site as well as the lifespan of its assets. Spearheading the adoption of such initiatives in the MENA region is Francisco Ramalheira, who has been appointed Enova’s Director – Business Development and Marketing. — SG


September 21, 2017
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