Saving CO2 Emissions: How Digital Solutions Can Help

CO2 emissions are to be reduced continuously in industrial and commercial companies. Digital solutions that create transparency and thus enable changes in behaviour can support this. Energy costs and CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 15 percent.

The total energy consumption and composition is a black box for many companies. Energy costs can be reduced, and the company’s CO2 emissions can be reduced with little effort.

Reducing CO2 Emissions: Measurement Is Key

This is because the individual electricity, gas, heat, and water consumption of different companies and building areas are known. To do this, they must be continuously measured and visualised. In medium-sized businesses, this requires a great deal of coordination effort and data maintenance, which is sometimes carried out manually at excellent expense today. The solution is provided by digital tools in which all consumers of commercial property are bundled and visually processed for better understanding.

Transparency Of All Energy Flows

MinuteView from the energy service provider ista is one such software solution. It is a digital power tool for efficient energy management in commercial real estate. Years of experience in the British market show that savings of up to 15 percent can be achieved. This is made possible by bundling all consumption in a company – from heat to electricity and water to cooling – and displaying it on a dashboard. The data flows into the tool via various interfaces of the measurement infrastructure. The comprehensive, hardware-spanning data collection creates transparency about all energy flows in a building quickly and easily.

Depending on the technical equipment, an hourly, daily, or weekly visualisation of the collected data is possible. Consumption profiles (load curves over time) are created based on the combined consumption. In this way, consumption peaks can be identified, and energy efficiency measures can be derived. The load curves show how consumption has developed per metre and type of energy (daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the setting). An initial assessment of energy consumption, including initial starting points for behavioural changes, is possible after a short time.

The digital power tool also has an integrated alarm function that enables a quick reaction in the event of unusual load curves or outliers. The customer sets a threshold above which he would like to be informed by SMS or e-mail. For example, system defects can be detected earlier, or fluctuations in consumption can be better identified.

Identify Potential CO2 Savings

CO2 pricing and climate policy guidelines are increasingly influencing corporate decision-making processes. As a result, the presentation of CO2 consumption is becoming increasingly relevant. Correct CO2 reporting according to DIN EN ISO 14064 is therefore essential. The standard is the basis for accounting for your greenhouse gas emissions. For many companies, solid reporting and the auditing of the results have often only been possible with great effort. MinuteView can also help here. For example, all information required for the CO2 balance according to DIN EN ISO 14064 is illustrated in the dashboard.

Suppose you consider different limit values ​​for the various energy sources, e.g., E.g., more CO2 than gas. In that case, this automation offers considerable time savings and is the basis for an effective climate strategy. In this way, CO2 savings can be quickly identified in the overall consumption, and decarbonization can be tackled more efficiently.

Technical Implementation In Commercial Real Estate: Reducing CO2 Emissions

The metrological equipment of industrial and commercial properties differs from the equipment of a residential building with heat cost allocators and water and electricity metres. A measurement concept is drawn up on-site to assess which equipment is necessary. In most cases, M-Bus systems are implemented in the initial equipment. The wired metres ensure that all data is reliably transmitted, even over relatively long distances between the individual measuring stations in commercial properties. However, it can also be equipped with pure radio systems. Experience has shown that the additional installation of gateways or repeaters is necessary due to the distances between the individual distributors.

External metres can also be integrated into MinuteView for recording consumption. This is possible in two ways. Either a secondary metre is installed, which directly transmits the primary metre’s data. No coordination with the operator of the main metre is required for this. Or the primary metre, e.g., of the electricity supplier, is connected directly via a technical data interface. However, approval for the data transport must be obtained in this case. Digital power tools support trade and industry in reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions by no longer having to record energy consumption manually or using various monitoring tools. All consumption is displayed on a dashboard, and the information can be called up in a targeted manner. With this, it is possible.

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