Small Business Reduces Electricity Costs

Challenge:

A small business wants to reduce their energy costs.

Solution:

The business had an electrician install Akida’s e-LOK system to help regulate the building’s electricity demand so that it was better matched to the utility company’s typical variable pricing schedule. The electrician configured the system using the utility company’s historical rate schedules to set the demand limits for various periods in the day. The business owner identified the largest electrical loads that could be managed by the system and prioritized them for winter and summer. The electrician examined the loads to be managed to determine if any of them were already on a low voltage switch such as a thermostat or if they were on a timer switch. The perimeter lighting was one of the loads to be managed by the e-LOK and since it was on a timer switch, the e-LOK was configured to operate it with the system’s timer settings. The AC system, which was also to be managed by the e-LOK was wired by the electrician so that the thermostat switch was utilized to turn the system on and off. The e-LOK was connected to the business’s router with an Ethernet cable so that it could be accessed via the computer network or via the Internet.

Results:

The business saw lower utility bills immediately as the demand was managed to be lower during the times of the day when the utility company’s charges were highest. The e-LOK system’s multiple peak setting periods allowed the management team to further adjust settings as the utility company’s rate schedules changed during higher demand periods, to achieve a energy consumption profile that was well matched to the cost curve. The system did not require any increase in operational or maintenance costs. The multiple load-prioritization helped reduce the impact to the business operations. The ability to review energy consumption data on their computer network allowed the staff to become much smarter in their energy consumption to further reduce their costs. The business manager is able to import the energy cost data into their cost accounting system to analyze the data and better allocate costs across the business operations, which is increasing profitability. This was only possible because the e-LOK is able to forward data files in a universally accepted format so that no data decoding has to be performed.

Conclusion:

The e-LOK is a cost efficient and functional energy management system that delivers exceptional ROI. The system also provides an added benefit of reducing a business’s carbon footprint increasing its appeal to environmentally conscious customers.