You do not have to be a mathematician to discover that our Smart Energy Meters, in association with our advanced analytical platform, eiEnterprise are, without a doubt, the best defence against inaccurate electricity bills and, at the same time, the most efficient tool for stopping energy waste.
But what is this association, and how does it work?
In short, it is a business intelligence tool that monitors, measures, and manages your electricity use.
It consists of a smart meter that transfers comprehensive data to eiEnterprise, an online platform accessible from any computer with an internet connection.
It allows you to log your electricity use precisely, giving you insight into every facet of your electricity consumption. The powerful eiEnterprise analytics have been demonstrated to be immensely useful in managing costs.
Minimising your electricity cost requires you to take a firm stand against Municipal Misconduct and Energy Waste, but it is vital to gather sufficient scientific evidence. Without transparent, precise, and accessible smart meter data, your chance of success is very slim indeed.
The paragraphs below show why such data is critical to managing electricity costs. Let's look at municipalities first, but remember Energy Waste, which is even more important.
Whether by accident (read incompetence) or design (read corruption), thousands of businesses receive electricity accounts that bear no resemblance to their actual consumption. Below are some of their favourite tricks.
(This list is by no means comprehensive)
Municipal Shenanigans
Estimates
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred.
It is standard practice for municipalities to make use of estimates to compile your bill, and there is nothing wrong with it as long as they follow the rules, but most of them don’t.
We found many instances where inflated estimates continued for years, despite a rule limiting it to three consecutive readings. Often these thumb sucks would also appear as actual readings on the bill.
Pitched against your solid, smart meter evidence, they have no chance.
Demand
Measured in kVA, demand makes up the bulk of the bill in many cases.
(If you want to learn more about demand, please watch our video by clicking here).
Most businesses have a demand sensitive account, meaning you get charged for the highest consumption measured during a 30-minute period over the billing cycle, usually a month. Even if your power is turned off for the entire month, but you use the power for only 30 minutes, you will be charged for whatever demand you created during those 30 minutes.
Even though it is a world-wide practise, it opens many opportunities for exploiting customers. Unlike kilowatt-hours, kVA cannot be estimated, and strict rules for dealing with kVA have to be followed by any utility. However, municipalities rarely enforce these rules, and this is, precisely, where they manipulate the figures to favour their own pockets at your expense.
Without your own smart meter data, you have no hope of challenging their charges.
Metering
Smart meters are incredibly smart instruments, but it is a case of "garbage in, garbage out", as the saying goes.
Smart Meters rely on current transformers to provide the information they need to compute various electrical parameters. They need to be accurately matched and programmed, though, or else they output garbage.
In reality, many meters are programmed incorrectly at installation, causing both consumption and demand figures to be wrong. Converting to smart meters gave unprincipled officials a golden opportunity to apply their trade.
In numerous instances, customers reported sharply escalating costs after the council installed smart meters. Good luck if you want to challenge that without proof.
Dodgy Administration
There is much more than the municipal incompetence that needs to be fixed.
Many councils use AMR systems (Automatic Meter Reading) that automatically report consumption data to their accounting programmes. Under ideal conditions, they work wonderfully well.
The problem comes in when the smart meters are vandalised for their SIM cards to make cell phone calls, or they stop working because of neglect. Once again, they resort to thumb suck accounting with understandable results.
Armed with your eiEnterprise data, you will have the upper hand when objecting to charges for which they do not have proof.
Incompetence
Most municipalities are characterised by poor management and declining levels of service delivery.
This sad state of affairs is rooted in the lack of appropriate skills, unethical conduct, corruption and maladministration.
Whatever the reason, customers have to be extra vigilant in dealing with municipal accounts.
Having a paper trail and proof is one of the most valuable tools you can have when disputing charges.
Energy Waste
Once you are happy that your business is correctly billed, it is time to stop wasting very expensive energy.
Without critical smart meter data, you are probing in the dark.
Now is the time to consult your in-house expert that understands more about your energy use than anyone else – your very own smart meter. For the first time, you will really know what is going on in your wires.
However, if you want to do something about your energy costs, you must be able to adapt. These changes all create an impact and increase flexibility, but it is imperative to have a clear view of when and how much energy you use. If you don’t, all you can do is hope for the best. Hope is not a good strategy, though.
A far better strategy is to follow universal best practices because it produces results that are superior to those achieved by any other means.
We produced, what is believed to be, one of the most comprehensively researched manuals in respect to the best strategies for managing your electricity costs.
Avoiding theoretical extremes in real world issues, it explains in practical terms how your company can use smart meter data to uncover Energy Efficiency that would significantly reduce your electricity costs. Find out how to trace wastage and reduce your electricity consumption by keeping abreast of modern techniques.
This online tool is easy to use, with live links and clever cross-referencing.
And best of all, it is free.
Paging through the manual will give you a good idea of what could be done in your operation. Once you have decided on a course of action, you can delve deeper and gain valuable, detailed advice.
Don’t be discouraged by the volume of information in this manual. It was designed with the businessman owner, as well as the professional facility manager in mind. Select what is of interest to you and use it as a guide for your circumstances.
