Energy efficiency - companies use energy management systems to aid decisionmaking

The findings of the summer survey of the Energy Efficiency Index EEI show that the importance of energy efficiency is at an all-time high, while the investment index is at an all-time low. "The willingness of companies to invest in energy efficiency measures is at an all-time low since records began, probably due to the turnaround in interest rates, the recession, and other high costs," said the head of the Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production (EEP), Prof. Alexander Sauer.

The EEP has surveyed current and planned energy efficiency activities in German industry every six months since 2013. The EEI is produced in collaboration with the German Energy Agency (dena), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Fraunhofer IPA and TÜV Rheinland, and other partners. Over 850 participants gave their opinion on three sub-categories during the current survey period. This survey focused on investments in increasing energy efficiency and handling energy data.

Cross-industry technologies for increasing energy efficiency, e.g. waste heat recovery and technical building equipment, and energy supply are among the best reason for companies to invest. A company's perceived public image, on the other hand, is deemed less important. Rather, companies tend to follow a sustainability strategy with the hope of gaining an economic advantage in the future.

About half of all companies surveyed are either planning, or already have an energy management system. They use the data as a basis for making decisions for an optimized purchasing strategy and improved process flow. About half of companies that use an energy management system use it to make forecasts, such as predicting electrical load.

"The advantage of energy management systems is the high level of data recognition. For example, this can be used to detect malfunctions in production processes," says Alexander Sauer. "The introduction of the Energy Efficiency Act means that companies that consume more than 15GWh of energy are obliged to implement an energy management or environmental management system. This political measure clearly shows the trend towards digital transformation in companies and illustrates a clear course toward digitalization. However, it is crucial that policymakers create stable boundary conditions for energy efficiency investments."