Enterprising energy management systems

Over the last several decades, there has been increasing interest and activity in the filed of energy management. The knowledge gained from the deployment of energy efficient projects is driving a transition from traditional tactical practices to more comprehensive strategic energy management practices. Like many modern management practices, a strategic management approach highlights the need for an information system to set goals, track performance, and communicate results. An enterprise energy management (EEM) information system can support strategic energy management by capturing data about current energy performance, assisting in the creation and tracking of energy performance goals, and communicating results to managers and energy project participants. This paper presents specific EEM system applications that support strategic energy management, which include: modeling and forecasting; benchmarking; energy use and cost analysis; and measurement and verification.