An organisation’s profitability depends on the ability to analyse and control operating costs. It follows, then, that better energy management saves money and translates to an improved bottom line. An increasing number of companies in the engineering sector are turing to software systems to manage their energy usage and reduce costs. Advisor, developed by ResourceKraft, is a web-based energy management cost-control system built and powered by the ResourceKraft Energy software platform. It gathers, processes and analyses energy data; electricity, gas, oil, water from meters and/or third-party systems and converts it into business information. “This enables organisations to understand how and where energy is being consumed at any given time across all sites,” explained Liam Relihan, CEO and founder of ResourceKraft. “It supports environmental sensors such as temperature and humidity. The aim of Advisor is to facilitate organisations to incorporate key performance indicators, set targets, generate reports and involve management and staff in making informed energy management decisions so that they can reduce energy costs and meet carbon targets.” The solution allows all metered circuits to be viewed in graphical and tabular format. It provides fast, attractive charting with zoom feature for detailed analysis and supports executive real time, 24-hour, seven-day, monthly and yearly monitoring. Visualisation functionality permits users to easily identify the worst-performing parts of their organisation in terms of energy efficiency and cost. Analysis is done using advanced tools such as Energy Maps, which indicate the areas of highest and lowest use over time. REPORTING AND ANALYSIS “Ongoing reporting is essential for management and staff to measure their progress,” added Relihan. “A selection of standard and customised reports is available in Advisor. These automated reports on various areas of interest can be scheduled on a regular basis via email.” Key performance indicators can be defined whereby departments or sites can measure their implementation of energy/carbon reductions against company specific metrics. “The system utilises all billing data to provide accurate cost-consumption information at all levels,” continues Liam. “It details how much cost is being incurred, in what areas and when. Users can choose the most cost effective utility supplier based on their energy consumption pattern, spot anomalies and predict costs of utility bills in advance.” Advisor is eligible for the UK’s Enhanced Carbon Allowance (ECA) scheme, Ireland’s Accelerated Capital Allowance scheme and various US State Incentives. “When we developed the Advisor, the aim was to develop a system that was easy to use and that could drive energy efficiencies, reduce operating costs and create environmentally sound facilities,” Relihan concluded. Liam Relihan, CEO and founder of ResourceKraft, is a research and development executive and software program manager in the semi-conductor and telecommunications industries.