Why Energy Monitoring Has Become a Necessity
Energy accounts for 10 to 30 percent of industrial production costs. Faced with persistently rising energy prices and regulatory requirements (the Tertiary Sector Decree, ISO 50001, carbon footprint assessments), companies can no longer afford to manage energy “blindly”—relying solely on a single monthly reading from their supplier’s bill.
Industrial energy monitoring provides:
- Real-time visibility — who is consuming what, when, and how much.
- Waste detection — non-production consumption, equipment left on standby for excessive periods.
- Data-driven management — investment decisions based on actual measurements.
- Regulatory compliance — ISO 50001 reports, OPERAT (tertiary sector decree), carbon footprint assessment.
- Lower energy bills — typical savings of 10 to 20% with an effective energy management system.
Industrial Energy Monitoring Architecture
Energy Monitoring KPIs
| KPI | Unit | Calculation | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specific energy consumption | kWh/unit | Energy / Production | Minimize |
| Energy intensity | kWh/€ revenue | Energy / Revenue | Minimize |
| Power factor | cosφ | Measured | > 0.9 |
| Total harmonic distortion | THD % | Measured | < 8% voltage |
| Non-production energy share | % | Nighttime/Weekend Energy / Total | Minimize |
| Energy Performance Index | IPÉ | Energy / Benchmark | < 1 (improvement) |
Identifying Waste: Real-World Examples
Nighttime and Weekend Energy Consumption A production facility that consumes 30% of its energy outside of production hours likely has equipment that remains on standby unnecessarily: compressors running due to compressed air leaks, furnaces maintaining temperature unnecessarily, and lights left on. Monitoring systems identify these areas precisely.
Exceeding the Contracted Power The contracted power (in kVA or kW) determines the rate. Regularly exceeding this limit results in high penalties. The monitoring system sends a preventive alert as soon as power consumption approaches the threshold, allowing for manual or automatic load shedding.
Low Power Factor A cosφ below 0.9 results in reactive power penalties under HTB/HTA contracts. The monitoring system identifies the causes (uncompensated motors, harmonics) and quantifies the potential savings from installing a capacitor bank.
Regulatory Requirements Covered
Tertiary Sector Decree (BACS) Requires commercial buildings larger than 1,000 m² to report their annual energy consumption on the OPERAT platform and to gradually reduce their consumption (targets: -40% by 2030, -50% by 2040, -60% by 2050 compared to the baseline). IoT monitoring automatically provides the data required for reporting.
ISO 50001 International standard for energy management. It requires the establishment of an energy policy, the identification of significant energy uses, and the continuous measurement and monitoring of indicators. The IoT platform serves as the technical backbone of the ISO 50001 process.
Carbon Footprint (Scope 1 & 2) Measuring electricity consumption (Scope 2: indirect emissions) and natural gas consumption (Scope 1: direct emissions) is the first step in calculating a carbon footprint. IoT monitoring automates this data collection and facilitates CSRD reporting.
The Eziwan Approach
The Eziwan Gateway connects to the RS-485 bus of your meters and network analyzers (Modbus RTU), reads M-Bus data for gas, water, and heat meters, and integrates pulse inputs. The Eziwan Cloud centralizes all measurements, calculates energy performance indicators (EPIs), generates compliance reports, and triggers waste alerts.
For more information: electrical cabinet monitoring, connected smart buildings, and Modbus Cloud.