5 Ways Automation Can Improve Your Energy Efficiency

Whether its for the planet, or your own back pocket, improving energy efficiency is always beneficial. Here are some ways automation can help you gain green credentials.
 

1. Turn it off

   Turning off lights, unplugging devices from power points and closing curtains to improve thermal efficiency are all things that improve the energy efficiency of a building. However, if we have to rely on a person to do this manually, it probably won’t happen. Take the human element out of the equation and automate these simple tasks to ensure they happen when you need them to.
    

2. Sensing change

   An automation system with sensors installed will allow you to automatically turn on lights, as well as heating or cooling, when someone enters a room. This means that the space is kept safe and comfortable when people are there, but that energy is not being wasted when people are not.
    

3. Watch your usage

   You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so add energy monitoring to your automation system to keep track of where and how energy is being used in your building. You may find there are some simple and obvious efficiencies you can make.
    

4. Be proactive, not reactive

   Automation solutions can help you keep better track of your mechanical plant, allowing you to undertake preventative maintenance, rather than emergency works when something goes wrong. By keeping track of systems, you can also reduce the frequency of mundane tasks as you have better visibility of the plant operations.
    

5. Tracking the ups and downs

   Adding renewable energy sources to your power supply is certainly a way to save more on power bills, but using automation to control which power source is used and at what time can save you even more. Clever algorithms exist in Schneider Electric technologies that allow you to input a range of data including solar generation and storage, grid tariffs and fees so that you can be using, generating and storing energy in the most cost effective and energy efficient way possible.