The AI Revolution In Energy Efficiency
With the earth’s population steadily rising, energy consumption is increasing at a greater pace than ever before. Couple this with the fact that many people in developing countries are striving for a middle class lifestyle, it is no wonder that the energy industry now amounts to $6 trillion USD, and it can only increase. Even though renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind turbines, are growing, promoting energy efficient appliances (LED fixtures and bulbs, other appliances) and energy efficiency processes & systems (e.g. BMS, Smart thermostats,…… ) are increasing their impact, we cannot yet slow down substantially the overall energy needs from fossil sources resulting in further environmental deterioration.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Outlook 2016
Now, the question is, “What more can we do?”
In this blog, I will focus on B2B applications and energy services. No doubt that the efforts to increase one’s renewable energy sources as a percentage of total energy generation need to be accelerated. That said, we must look to more advanced energy efficiency methods that utilize new, exponentially growing technologies, such as data analytics algorithms, IoT networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based on machine learning.
Data is no longer a novelty from finance to healthcare – data is ingrained into nearly every facet of our economy. At the same time, it is not the massive amount of data, but rather the effectiveness of the insights generated from algorithms using data, that impacts energy efficiency. While the algorithms so far have been humanly generated, more and more are being generated by AI. As AI gives rise to non-human patterns recognition through the accumulation of thousands of years of experience in a few days or even hours, the results will be better algorithms with not only better benefits for customers, but other, new benefits, as well. Much like how the AlphaGo computer program defeated the Go world champion in 2016, most AI systems continue to surprise us with their insights, recommendations and results.
The Energybox AI-based platform is growing more and more strategically powerful and will merge with other forms of AI in the future, such as security systems, and even go on to identify time or other labor intensive processes that can be automated. Through these advancements, the AI will continue to collect data and further enrich its algorithms.
So how can this system help your organization improve its energy efficiency? Here are some of the key benefits and characteristics of the EnergyTracker™ solution of the Energybox platform:
Track everything across thousands of facilities
Through the collection of real-time status and performance insights from cutting-edge, energy-tracking sensors connected to all electrical circuits, you can assess energy usage across many facilities as well as create a benchmark and aim to lower energy consumption. The graph below is an example of the report generated in the platform .
Prevent losses and delays
Act fast and avoid downtime by using real-time monitoring to identify potential problems and unexpected failures. t
Always connected
Receive real-time notifications and alerts for all of your locations and critical equipment.
Save energy
Gain detailed energy data about all of your equipment, across all of your locations, so you can take necessary actions and save on costs to surpass your sustainability targets.
Live energy benchmarks
Assess and benchmark equipment efficiency and site performance with reports on energy consumption across all of your locations.
Training and Maintenance Reduce training and maintenance costs by automating processes.
Insights and Recommendations
As the platform becomes smarter and smarter through AI, it generates valuable insights and recommendations.
Meeting customers regularly, we always get asked:
- “Can you do predictive maintenance?”
- “Do you have “value-add” analytics?”
- “Can you automate energy savings?”
The quick answer is yes! We can and we have!
Some real-life examples of how organizations have leveraged the EnergyTracker™ solution to address these questions, include:
- In a particular building with many HVACs, EnergyTracker™ found that some air conditioners (ACs) were still operating way after normal office hours repeatedly on weekdays. It is estimated that if the property manager had turned off the ACs on time, they could have saved thousands of USD a month and could have extended the AC system’s service life by an estimated 23%.
- One company is being assisted in tracking building energy consumption on the equipment level. Not only does this result in increased energy efficiency, but also an improvement in equipment maintenance capability. In one instance, EnergyTracker™ detected performance reduction in the HVAC system at different times in the afternoon, presenting an early indication of potential problems with the system.
About Energybox
We envision a future of true efficiency. Every day, we’re driven to deliver solutions that improve lives, businesses and the environment. Through insights, AI and automation, we simplify and empower your business to be safer, profitable and more sustainable than ever before.
Enjoy Automation.
www.energybox:3000 info@energybox.com
References
“U.S. Energy Information Administration – EIA – Independent Statistics and Analysis.” EIA Projects 48% Increase in World Energy Consumption by 2040 – Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), EIA, www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=26212.
