Lisa Wilkinson, director of t-mac Technologies, gets to know a device that can’t wait to tell you what is going on, energy-wise, at your firm – in fact, if anything goes wrong, it will SMS you straight away
Monitoring devices have made significant advances in recent years - they are now able to monitor energy consumption and control machinery remotely.

Also, their wireless capabilities make installation easy.

The latest automatic monitoring and targeting devices can tell you exactly where energy is being used and, at the same time, remotely control consumption and provide recommendations on how to reduce waste.

In addition, the more sophisticated GPRS-enabled devices are in action 24 hours a day, seven days a week - showcasing real-time energy consumption data online.

The data can be accessed and then acted on from any internet connection at any time.

By identifying exactly where, when and how much energy is being consumed by a heating device or air-conditioning unit, users are already one step ahead and can make energy management part of their routine - all from a desktop.

With more government legislation coming into force, energy management can no longer be considered a voluntary option, best practice, or part of a corporate social responsibility programme.

Managers need to ensure they are perfectly aware of their energy consumption and must be prepared to justify their energy management practices. Monitoring devices make this possible.

The use of monitoring devices has huge benefits, both financially and in terms of reducing environmental impact. Ability to manage, monitor and control equipment on multiple sites from one single portal is one of the most significant advantages of the newer devices. For instance, newer devices can monitor one air-conditioning unit, or multiple units, on every floor of a multi-storey building.

Monitoring multiple pieces of equipment from one internet connection is testament to the convenience of the devices. They can also go one step further, to make management as easy as possible by alerting users to ­problems.

By sending out SMS alerts or emails when preset conditions change, monitoring devices make energy monitoring simple and enable users immediately to act to resolve issues. Users can remotely turn off, turn down, or turn up equipment - either remotely over the internet, or manually on-site if convenient. For example, if the interior temperature of an office building rises, a monitoring device can communicate with the air-conditioning system and tell it to turn it up or turn it off.

Continually monitoring equipment for energy efficiency also ensures the user is aware of any irregularities. This will help users have a greater grasp of machine efficiency and give an insight into their capabilities. Any inefficiency can be spotted early - in effect, it enables predictive maintenance.

Although identifying exactly where inefficiencies lie is the first step to saving energy, it is also vital to ensure data gathered by the monitoring system is quickly and accurately analysed.

Then business practice can be adapted accordingly to improve energy output and reduce consumption.









A monitoring system can present energy consumption information in easy-to-read reports. This can help organisations prove they are sticking to targets and act as proof that the building, equipment or area being monitored is operating to maximum capacity and in an energy-efficient manner.

Advances in energy efficiency technology have led not only to a much greater grasp of energy usage, but it is also designed to conveniently fit into the lives of users.

To sum up, the latest technology makes the energy efficiency process simple in these ways:

Wireless installation

SMS or email alerts

Remote-control functions

Real-time data and easy-to-read reports



In addition, initial investment in monitoring systems is recouped within six months of installation. This means the devices are not only an effective way to save energy, but they are also a sound investment.