Energy management has become a key focus for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). With new laws and regulations like energy audits, GEG § 71a, and EnEfG (The Energy Efficiency Act), companies are now required to take action. The ongoing shifts in energy and heating supply make it even more important for them to assess their energy usage and consider adopting an Energy Management System (EMS).
Stadtwerke Kiel identified this need a decade ago and introduced the 24/7 energy cockpit to support its customers. This makes energy consumption transparent for companies and is the first and most important step towards energy efficiency and savings.
Stadtwerke Kiel on the lookout for new services
We started thinking about future-proof offers and services more than ten years ago because we realized that competition in pure energy sales would become tougher, margins would be correspondingly lower, and providers would be easily interchangeable.
When it came to selecting an energy management system, a key priority was for the provider to handle hosting internally. Compliance with data protection and security laws is standard practice for any German company. But as Stadtwerke Kiel highlights, "a good feeling is also needed." This made data storage outside the EU, such as in the USA or UK, an unacceptable option. Instead, hosting in Norway was the clear choice. Not only did it meet privacy regulations, but it also fit with northern Germany's historic ties to Scandinavia. This decision was made possible through Energinet's white-label solution.
"Other requirements," says Arne Wegeleben, "were simple and easy-to-understand operation of the system for practitioners and the possibility of a gradual introduction at the customer's premises. With these requirements in mind, the decision was made in 2014 in favor of Kiona's Energy Management Software, Energinet."
Step by step into energy management
The 24/7 energy cockpit allows customers to start with the first step, the main meter reading data, and then delve deeper into energy management. To begin with, it helps companies check the plausibility of their electricity, gas, heat or other media bills.
"Companies need to look at their energy consumption; in the future, the legal regulations will – to put it bluntly – affect everyone who has more than one employee," emphasizes Arne Wegeleben.
- How do you proceed with a new customer?
We always start with the main measurements. In the next steps, we add the data from the sub-distribution and the consumption of individual branches, rooms or appliances, if necessary, which we include in the energy management system. The more consumption data is recorded, the easier it is to find errors when excessive consumption occurs.
"The realization that everything is as it should be or as expected is also an important insight that can be gained from the evaluations in the energy cockpit," says Arne Wegeleben.
Energy management makes the development of consumption visible and comparable. This makes it easy to compare energy bills and find errors. In order to achieve savings or uncover errors, it is important that someone on site feels responsible for the issue. This person can evaluate the data and look for appropriate solutions or take or suggest measures to reduce consumption.
- How do customers use the 24/7 energy cockpit to detect unnecessarily high electricity consumption?
Arne Wegeleben shares a practical example:
One of the special features of Stadtwerke Kiel AG's energy management system is the monthly reports, which are compiled individually for customers. In accordance with the EMAS specifications, this also includes individual key figures that can be determined specifically for each company. Be it the energy consumption per euro of sales, the number of overnight stays, care places or theater visitors.
Stadtwerke Kiel AG also uses these reports internally for its own plants and buildings. Understanding their own energy usage and load profiles allows them, for example, to properly size photovoltaic systems to match their needs.
- How does understanding energy consumption and load profiles help plan a Photovoltaic System?
"We help our customers design PV systems based on their actual energy usage patterns to maximize self-consumption. Many systems are oversized, which leads to surplus electricity being fed back into the grid. However, the compensation offered by grid operators or direct marketers for this extra electricity is no longer a profitable option." says Arne Wegeleben.
Another feature of the 24/7 energy cockpit is its ability to track decentrally generated energy. Typically, PV systems only measure the electricity sent back to the grid for billing purposes. With the cockpit, the total energy generated is also recorded, making it possible to calculate a property's degree of self-sufficiency alongside its actual energy needs. This gives customers a clear understanding of how independent they are from the public power grid.
Stadtwerke Kiel's 24/7 energy cockpit is therefore an easy way for businesses to get started with an EMS. Of course, you don't have to be an energy customer of Stadtwerke Kiel AG.
We have been working closely with Kiona for more than 10 years under a partnership agreement. For nearly as long, Mr. Wibowo has been our key contact for EMS (Energinet – 24/7 energy cockpit). Through regular collaboration, we've adapted Energinet to the evolving German energy market and enhanced the software with new and essential features to meet industry demands.
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