Stories & features

Monitoring: a key part of energy efficiency

Many of our articles for industrial customers revolve around saving, generating and storing energy. But for any of these to work properly, there's something else you need to be doing with your energy: monitoring it.

If you're an industrial customer with a BC Hydro-funded energy manager or if you're a participant in our strategic energy management cohort program, then to do this, you'll need an energy management information system (EMIS). This would help you to identify anomalies or new projects that result in energy savings.

Previously, this BC Hydro incentive was known as energy monitoring and targeting. But now we’re able to offer revised (and higher) incentive amounts to a wider range of customers who implement a sophisticated energy management information system (which we call a Level 2 EMIS).

Increased incentives for more customers

So how has this incentive changed? Shantanav Bhowmick, a conservation and energy management program manager with BC Hydro, explains: "The incentive for a Level 2 energy management information system is available to any industrial customer who has an energy manager. It’s also available to smaller industrial customers who are part of the cohort program or alumni."

"Based on the size and the complexity of industrial processes and systems at customer sites, we’ve capped the funding accordingly," says Shantanav. "For industrial cohort customers, we offer up to $50,000 toward a Level 2 EMIS, while for industrial energy manager sites, the incentive has now increased from $80,000 up to $100,000."

New EMIS capabilities, including AI projections

Shantanav also highlights how advances in EMIS software have enabled this broader reach: "We're now able to accept different kinds of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, machine learning or predictive algorithms. For instance, by analyzing one to two years of baseline data, an EMIS can dynamically model the expected energy consumption in real time and compare that data with actual energy consumption on site.

"These comparisons help to identify processes, systems or sites operating in an energy-inefficient manner. Customers can have a model built for their whole site or break it down into individual processes or systems within a plant."

This means that you can implement a Level 2 EMIS for one (or a combination) of the following capabilities:

• Real-time facility energy monitoring: Develop a model for monitoring the energy performance of your facility based on ideal operating conditions. Then, evaluate the real-time energy performance of the facility with that model.
• Specific equipment or energy centre monitoring: Similar to above, but for a specific piece of equipment or process.
• Advanced energy modelling: Incorporate complex predictive algorithms, AI and feedforward control systems for monitoring and projecting energy use.

How the Level 2 EMIS incentive works

1. Ask your Key Account Manager about a Level 2 EMIS.
2. Find an EMIS service provider registered with the Alliance of Energy Professionals. If you don’t have a preferred one already, the Alliance team can provide referrals of EMIS service providers for you to choose from. And if you do have a preferred service provider, let us know and we’ll get them registered.
3. Your Key Account Manager will schedule a pre-proposal meeting with you, your service provider and BC Hydro.
4. If your application is approved, you’ll receive an agreement (with an EMIS incentive amount) that needs to be signed and returned to us so your project can start.
5. When the EMIS has been successfully installed, we'll require a copy of the paid invoices, installation documents and sometimes a site inspection for approval. Once approved, you'll receive 75% of the funding.
6. Within 18 months of the installation, you should submit your EMIS final report along with a sustainment plan for maintaining, reviewing, and updating the models. You should also include evidence of implementation of at least one energy management opportunity directly related to the EMIS. Once approved, you’ll receive the remaining 25% of the funding.

Got questions about EMIS and your facility?

To find out more about the energy management information system incentive, contact your Key Account Manager or Regional Energy Manager, or call 604 522 4713 in the Lower Mainland or 1 866 522 4713 elsewhere in B.C.