A modern EMS is critical to deliver on the promise of an optimized BMS
As most of us know only too well, we live in an era of smart buildings – with increasing attention being paid to how these buildings are optimized and managed to meet the needs of the people who use them. To realize the promise and meet the demands, we need an integrated, effective Building Management System (BMS) so users can obtain the desired outcomes.
One of the key components within the BMS is the Energy Management System (EMS), which we’ll focus on in this blog. Effective energy management and successful building management go hand-in-hand.
Smart buildings
Before we examine that statement in more detail, let’s familiarize ourselves with the landscape we’re talking about. What are smart buildings? Essentially, they’re buildings equipped with advanced technology and integrated systems that increase the efficiency, sustainability, safety, and general user experience of the building’s occupants.
This is mainly achieved through different Internet of Things (IoT) devices (we’ll get into that term in more detail later), sensors, and automated systems that collect and analyze data. Harnessed together, this data enables better control and management of building operations.
Smart buildings have a lot of different facets that we won’t dwell on in this blog. The one we will focus on here, as noted, is energy efficiency. In smart buildings, sensors that detect occupancy, lighting needs, temperature, and other environmental factors are deployed and have the clear potential to optimize energy usage. In conjunction with advanced software, data pertaining to these and additional factors can be utilized to automatically regulate heating, lighting, cooling, and other systems to minimize energy waste and lower operating costs.
Understating the Energy Management System
That brings us to Energy Management Systems (EMS), which are vital in achieving a building’s optimization through a modern BMS. EMSs are all-encompassing solutions that focus specifically on the energy management aspects of the building, including those described above. Within the greater whole of the BMS, the EMS is primarily responsible for improving energy efficiency and minimizing the facilities environmental impact. To achieve these outcomes, it’s critical to have a modern, fit-for-purpose EMS. But what is that? What are the EMSs key functions and components? Let’s define them:
1 The modern EMS is a data collection hub. It collects data related to energy consumption, usually in real-time and sometimes on an interval basis, from sources like smart meters, sensors, and other monitoring devices.
2 It must be able to analyze that data. This means that the EMS can identify behavioral patterns and thereby identify opportunities for improvement.
3 The EMS is a reporting tool. It must be able to deliver reports and dashboards that provide management-level insights into building usage and performance.
4 It’s a control center. The EMS must enable users to remotely monitor and adjust equipment or processes related to the energy efficiency of the building.
5 The EMS is responsible for managing loads. It does this by balancing energy demand in the context of peak loads, which, if avoidable, can reduce energy costs and lower the strain on power grids.
6 The EMS should be a conservation hub. It can enable the implantation of specific steps – for instance, upgrading equipment where necessary or changing operational practices – that reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
7 It supports portfolio benchmarking. The EMS should enable the comparison of energy performances across a building owner’s portfolio of properties to identify anomalies between facilities and areas for improvement.
8 A real-time integration function. By integrating the EMS with building automation systems, buildings should be able to respond to real-time conditions optimally (for instance, by increasing or decreasing heating or cooling setpoints).
9 The EMS can take responsibility for leveraging renewable energy sources, integrating new components such as solar panels or wind turbines within an overall energy strategy. It can also oversee the carbon footprint of the building, tracking consumption to assess a building’s environmental impact.
There’s more. What’s driving the change?
While the role and responsibility of the EMS (seen through the list of functions described above) are still evolving and expanding, what’s driving this new era of Energy Management Systems? Increasingly, the adoption of cutting-edge technologies can drive energy efficiency, cost savings, and overall effectiveness. Three stand out, and while in future blogs we’ll dig into each in more detail, it’s worth summarizing and becoming familiar with them here.
- Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a technology that simulates human-like intelligence in machines (which are programmed to give human responses). The goal is to produce machines that would otherwise require a human presence to perform their tasks. As such, the application of AI to the EMS should be obvious.
- Machine Learning is a sub-category of AI that permits machines to learn from data without the need for explicit programming (think of it, if you like, as learning “on the fly”). To do this, ML requires training algorithms based on large datasets, which enable the recognition of patterns on which predictions or decisions can be based.
- The Internet of Things, a term with which we’re all likely now familiar, is a network of physical objects (known as “things”) which have embedded sensors, software, and other technologies permitting them to connect and exchange data with other devices or systems over the medium of the Internet. Within the EMS, examples are abundant, but think of smart thermostats as one of the most obvious.
These technologies, in particular, are driving us toward a new generation of Energy Management Systems, which are becoming benchmark components of a modern approach to building management. Does your EMS measure up to the requirements we’ve identified in this blog?
If not, they will soon need to (perhaps immediately) because an optimized BMS is ultimately about more than just managing building operations but strategically harnessing and controlling energy usage, identifying inefficiencies, and supporting smart, intelligent buildings.
About NexRev
At NexRev, we’ve been unlocking the power of facility and energy management data with over a million connected devices across North America. Our team of experts is focused on helping you deliver more with your budgets, infrastructure, and assets to create sustainable savings in operations and energy, reducing your risk and increasing operational confidence. To begin a discussion on how we can help you reduce energy waste, please email us at