The energy crises of the seventies, beginning with the oil embargo in 1973, followed by the oil shock in 1979, are generally regarded as the catalysts that led to an increased focus on energy conservation. Energy supply problems caused dramatic increases in energy prices, prompting individuals and institutions across all sectors and industries to take a closer look at how they spent energy, and how they could use less of it.
In many ways, this energy-conscious drive gave birth to well-known terms in today’s world of energy management, concepts such as monitoring and targeting, measurement and verification, energy performance contracting, and energy information systems – the topic of this blog.
What is a Building Energy Information System?
The Guide to Energy Management defines an Energy Information System as the “equipment and computer programs that let users measure, monitor, and quantify energy usage of their facilities and help identify energy conservation opportunities.” [1] While other terminologies, including energy management information systems, energy accounting systems, utility tracking systems, and energy dashboards are often used interchangeably to refer to Energy Information Systems, or EIS, it must be noted that sometimes these terms describe something very different. For example, Natural Resources Canada defines Energy Management Information Systems, or EMIS, as a “performance management system that enables individuals and organizations to plan, make decisions and take effective actions to manage energy use and costs.” [2] In other words, EMIS is viewed as a systematic three-phase approach to energy management. On the other hand, EMIS, acronym for Energy Management and Information Systems, is defined in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings’ EMIS primer as “a broad family of tools and services used to manage building energy use”. This family of tools includes Energy Information Systems (EIS), and other technologies such as Building Automation Systems (BAS), Fault Detection and Diagnostic (FDD) systems, and Automated System Optimization (ASO) tools. [3]
In general, as shown in figure 1, EMIS is used in a much broader context within the energy management domain, while EIS refers to a specialized tool used to collect, analyze and visualize energy information in such a way that empowers facility experts in their multifaceted tasks of energy management.
Figure 1. EMIS – A family of tools consisting of Energy Information Systems, Fault Detection and Diagnostics and Building Automation Systems. Others include benchmarking and utility tracking, and Automated System Optimization tools.
What is an Energy Information System Comprised Of?
A concise list of components that make up an Energy Information System is actually found in the aforementioned primer, where EIS is defined as the “software, data acquisition hardware, and communication systems used to store, analyze, and display building energy data”. [3]
From its humble beginnings using mostly spreadsheets and manual processes, EISs have come a long way, now leveraging a host of new technology in both, hardware and software realms. In terms of equipment in charge of acquiring source data, most EISs in the market today use either field devices, remote servers, or a mix of them to access energy meter data – whole building and sub-metered, utility rates, weather and occupancy data, as well as sensor and control data exposed through building automation systems. Obviously, different integration options based on current infrastructure would need to be considered come implementation time.
EIS software is primarily web-based in order to contend with our connected world. Features of what this software can do vary greatly, however, with some tools providing whole-building daily, weekly and monthly electricity and gas consumption graphed and displayed on energy dashboards, while other tools extending beyond simple displays of colorful charts, with added analytic capabilities able to perform weather-normalized baseline modelling, load profiling, cumulative sums of aggregated energy savings, and various complex visualizations with interactive drill-downs and roll-ups – available not only for an individual building, but also for a portfolio of multiple buildings.
Are there tangible benefits attributed to Energy Information Systems? If there are, how can they be realized? The next article in our current series will tackle these questions, so check back soon.
[1] Capehart, B. L., Kennedy, W. J., Turner, W.C. 2016. Guide to Energy Management 8th Edition, International Version. The Fairmont Press.
[2] Natural Resources Canada. 2018. Energy management information systems.
[3] Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 2015. A Primer on Organizational Use of Energy Management and Information Systems (EMIS). U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Initiative.
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CopperTree Analytics
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