An electricity bill shows how much a company has consumed and how much it has to pay. It does not show which machine uses the most energy, why consumption rises at night, or how much energy goes to equipment that runs when it is not needed.
This is where digitalisation can help. Its value lies not only in collecting data automatically, but also in helping a company understand its consumption more precisely and respond to waste in time.
Digitalisation can reduce energy costs, but only when the data collected leads to concrete decisions and changes in how the company operates.
From electricity bills to a clear picture of consumption
A monthly bill shows the total consumption of a building or production facility. If the amount increases, it can be difficult to establish why.
The reason could be increased production, a change in energy prices, faulty equipment, longer working hours, or unnecessary consumption outside working hours. Without more detailed data, all these causes look the same: a higher bill.
Digital meters and monitoring systems make it possible to examine consumption by day, by hour, or by part of the business. Data can be tracked separately for a production line, heating and cooling, lighting, a warehouse, or a particular group of devices.
Total consumption then becomes more than a single figure. It becomes information the company can analyse.
Where digital tools can help
The appropriate level of digitalisation depends on a company’s size and activities. A simple spreadsheet may be enough for one business to track monthly consumption, while a production facility may need additional meters, sensors, and monitoring software.
Common tools include:
- smart meters and submeters;
- temperature, humidity, pressure, and occupancy sensors;
- heating, cooling, and ventilation control systems;
- energy monitoring software;
- automatic alerts for unusual consumption;
- machine monitoring systems;
- production and transport planning tools.
None of these tools guarantees savings on its own. Their purpose is to show where energy is being used so the company can act in time.
Identifying consumption outside working hours
One of the simplest applications is monitoring consumption at night, on weekends, and during holidays.
A company may have a steady level of consumption even when production has stopped and no employees are in the building. This may be caused by devices left on standby, unnecessary lighting, compressors, ventilation, servers, or heating and cooling systems.
A smart meter can show how much energy the building uses when most equipment should be switched off. The company can then check which devices are running and whether they need to be.
Individually, these devices may use little energy. If they run every night and every weekend, their annual cost can become significant.
Heating and cooling based on actual needs
In commercial buildings, a large share of energy is often used to maintain a comfortable temperature. Problems arise when heating or cooling follows a fixed schedule that does not match how the space is actually used.
Temperature and occupancy sensors can help ensure that different parts of a building are heated or cooled only when needed. A system can lower the temperature after working hours, adjust its operation to weather conditions, or flag when the same space is being heated and cooled at the same time.
Savings do not necessarily require replacing the entire system. Sometimes it is enough to improve the controls, set a more suitable operating schedule, or resolve conflicts between devices.
In this way, digitalisation helps existing equipment work more efficiently.
When energy consumption reveals a fault
A change in energy consumption can signal a technical problem
A machine that starts using more energy per unit produced may need maintenance. A compressor that switches on more often than before may indicate an air leak. A refrigeration unit that runs for longer may have a problem with its insulation, doors, or cooling system.
If consumption is tracked only through a monthly bill, the problem may go unnoticed for weeks or months. An equipment monitoring system can flag a deviation as soon as it appears.
The benefit goes beyond lower energy consumption. Timely intervention can prevent a more serious fault, a production stoppage, or the loss of goods.
Better production planning
Digital data can link energy consumption to the volume of goods produced. This makes it possible to track energy use per product, batch, or work order.
A company may discover that a particular machine uses the most energy when starting up. If production is organised into many short runs, the machine may be restarted unnecessarily.
Grouping production orders more effectively can reduce the number of start-ups, idle periods, and changes to operating settings. In other cases, it may help to avoid starting several large energy users at the same time or to schedule some activities during a more favourable period.
These organisational changes often require no new equipment. They require data that shows how production planning affects consumption.
A simple example
A small manufacturing company notices that its electricity bills are rising even though its production volume has not changed significantly.
After installing several submeters, it finds that its compressed air system uses a substantial amount of energy after working hours. A further check reveals air leaks in the system and an incorrectly configured automatic operating mode.
Repairing the leaks and changing the compressor’s operating schedule reduces unnecessary consumption. The company did not have to replace the entire system. Digital measurement showed where the problem was.
How to start without a major investment
Digital energy management can be introduced gradually:Digital energy management can be introduced gradually:Digital energy management can be introduced gradually:
- Collect energy bills for at least the previous 12 months.
- Compare consumption with production volume, working hours, or the number of employees.
- Identify the largest energy users.
- Check consumption outside working hours.
- Install additional meters where data is missing.
- Define a few indicators to monitor regularly.
- Assign responsibility for analysing the data and initiating corrective action.
- Only then assess the need for more advanced software and automation.
The best place to start is where consumption is likely to be highest or where there is already reason to suspect waste.
Technology identifies the problem; people solve it
A company can have dozens of sensors and large amounts of data without achieving any savings. This happens when nobody reviews the results regularly, alerts go unanswered, or responsibility is unclear.
Simple procedures must therefore accompany the technology: who checks consumption, what counts as an unusual deviation, and who decides when to intervene.
Digitalisation does not reduce energy costs simply by being in place. It reduces uncertainty. It shows where energy is used, when deviations occur, and which measures work.
Only when that information changes how a company operates does digitalisation become a practical tool for energy efficiency.
The Sustainable Economic Development and Employment Promotion (SEDEP) programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which strengthens vocational education and private sector development and supports digital and green transformation, is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).v
