How IoT Can Help with Energy Management

Energy management may be challenging, given the scope of processes and equipment involved. But with the Internet of Things (IoT) in place, it gets a new twist. Adopting IoT solutions in energy management can cut electricity consumption by over 1.6 petawatt-hours (PWH) in 2030. That’s enough to power more than 150 million homes for a whole year.

Besides electric power supply efficiency, the IoT energy management system can provide many other advantages. Consider significant savings, improved security, and better energy data administration.

In this article, WebbyLab shares its expertise in creating energy management IoT solutions that make the above benefits a reality. We’ll tell you about the most popular applications of energy-saving technologies, showcasing our projects of SmartHeat heat pump enhancement, 2Smart Standalone automation system, and more. Read on to learn how IoT can facilitate your energy management.

Importance of Energy Measurement for Monitoring

Any energy management plan’s implementation requires accurate energy data measurement. Companies can collect such data from standard utility meters or full-fledged monitoring systems connected to smart energy IoT applications. When WebbyLab specialists developed the MyBox EV chargers platform, they ensured that the telemetry and its visualization features made it simple to gather such data.

Efficient energy measurement necessitates:

• Creating a system for measuring energy data
• Appointing employees responsible for monitoring energy use
• Ensuring the correct use of energy-measuring devices and sensors
• Collecting energy data timely and accurately

Thus, the company must prepare an energy measurement plan that specifies all the indicators necessary to measure and the procedures for doing so. It’s required so that the employees can follow unified guidelines.

It’s significant to note that the energy measurement will help determine the total energy consumption, not energy efficiency. Nevertheless, the proper implementation of the energy-saving management strategy depends on this data.

Main Benefits of Smart Energy Management Using IoT

Measuring production and consumption data is only one step toward energy efficiency. Another matter is using IoT-based systems for energy management. They are advantageous to the entire electricity supply chain: consumers, distributors, and power plants. Let’s go through the main benefits of IoT in energy consumption in greater detail:

Reduce Energy Costs

The most important advantage provided by IoT in energy management is the ability to reduce energy expenses. It’s also one of the main reasons businesses and governments are paying increased attention to the Internet of Things. Data-driven insights, monitoring in real-time, and smart measuring are only part of what IoT can offer while optimizing energy costs.

Automate Energy Management

An IoT-based system allows the automation of numerous processes. In particular, it can collect energy data from IoT devices for measurement and analytics. As a result, employees can concentrate on developing successful energy management strategies as they don’t have to perform as many manual tasks.

WebbyLab has extensive experience in IoT automation. As an illustration, consider how our 2Smart Standalone platform works in agriculture for smart greenhouse implementation.

We placed a mini-computer and Modbus bus in the greenhouse, connecting lighting, watering, ventilation lines, and industrial temperature sensors. Our team also integrated a Zigbee gateway into a mini-computer so the system could receive data from wireless sensors.

The 2Smart Standalone platform automatically monitors the following parameters in the greenhouse: air and soil temperature and humidity, CO2 level, and light level. It allows for maintaining these indicators as efficiently as possible without extra energy.

A smart greenhouse based on a 2Smart Standalone platform.

Reduce Carbon Footprint

Sustainability is not just one of the latest trends; it’s a new reality. In this reality, businesses strive to reduce their emissions. So it’s when implementing  IoT for energy management systems will be beneficial, allowing companies to analyze their environmental impact and optimize the use of resources.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance

IoT solutions enable the use of analytical tools, owing to which businesses can ensure they adhere to regulations in the energy sector. Thus, the management of certifications becomes more straightforward.

Support Green Energy Initiatives

With all the emphasis on sustainability and the environment, green energy is the power industry’s future. That’s why more and more companies are introducing this type of energy into their activities. In this case, IoT can be a great tool to help develop an effective plan for energy conservation and implementation of renewable energy sources.

Improve Asset Upkeep

The Internet of Things’ use goes beyond energy management. These technologies also allow monitoring of the condition of equipment, sensors, and other devices connected to the IoT system. In this way, companies can know which equipment needs replacement or repair.

Most Popular Solutions of IoT Energy-Saving Technologies

The Internet of Things has found implementation in multiple energy-saving systems. Let’s consider the most common IoT applications in smart energy management.

Smart Metering Systems

IoT-based smart metering solutions like Sense assist in monitoring electricity consumption. They make it possible for consumers to gather data on energy usage and submit it to energy providers.

The range of tasks that smart meters can handle is quite broad. For example, they can collect data on energy consumption for each device in the house, thus allowing consumers to analyze which gadget uses the most energy. Or these solutions can send automatic notifications to the consumer when some of their devices are off.

Owing to smart meters, energy suppliers can also estimate electricity demand, track patterns in electricity consumption, and adjust supply accordingly.

Smart HVAC Systems

HVAC, or heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, consumes the majority of electricity in residential and commercial properties. Yet, with smart HVAC systems, it’s possible to monitor and adjust energy use in real time.

HVAC smart energy management using IoT involves tracking such indicators as air temperature, humidity, and lighting. Such systems also make it possible to modify energy consumption parameters by dividing the building into separate zones.

Our 2Smart Standalone solution enables configuring the automation scenarios following the smart home requirements. This platform lets consumers reduce energy expenses by switching various electrical systems like electric underfloor heating, hot water circulation, towel dryers, etc., when necessary.

Thus, smart HVAC systems allow consumers and businesses to use heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment as efficiently as possible, optimize consumed energy and, accordingly, reduce utility bills.

Energy System Monitoring and Maintenance

Energy management with IoT allows for predicting various issues long before they occur. In particular, this becomes possible thanks to monitoring and maintaining energy equipment.

With IoT, you can remotely track key system metrics, determine equipment performance, and wear and tear. This way, you do not have to wait until irreparable problems arise and service the equipment in advance.

One of the techniques for setting up equipment maintenance is the use of IoT with digital twin technology. In this case, the sensors attached to the devices will transmit data about the equipment’s performance to virtual copies of this equipment. It allows you to manage all processes remotely.

Another example of equipment maintenance is in the following WebbyLab case study. We created the cloud-computing MyBox platform for maintaining and managing EV charging stations. Energy system monitoring and maintenance were the main tasks of this project. That’s why we put extra emphasis on the platform’s web interface.

We have integrated the Grafana software data visualization system, which enables monitoring of the state of each charging station’s sensors and, ultimately, the entire system. It displays such electrical parameters as dynamic load, energy consumption, output, current, voltage, and temperature in graphs, charts, and tables.

On top of that, the MyBox platform allows managing connected devices remotely. These devices are listed in the Devices management section, where an administrator can open the device management interface. There, a designated employee can view the current state of each sensor and change it, e.g., turn on, turn off, switch the operating mode, etc.

Maintaining Industrial Heat Pumps with SmartHeat Solution

WebbyLab also used IoT for energy efficiency in SmartHeat heat pumps. Before our intervention, these industrial pumps were autonomous devices not connected to the Internet of Things. Although they were initially energy efficient, our team had to realize their potential fully.

The main challenges were inconveniences in changing the operational modes of heat pumps. The user had to interfere with each device directly through a separate interface.

Our team helped SmartHeat finalize the production of the device firmware, turned heat pumps into industrial IoT devices, and provided MQTT broker cloud capacities. We have also developed a mobile application that enables users to monitor heat pumps remotely, a remote tool for technical support, and a remote telemetry collection and analysis tool via a web interface.

A SmartHeat mobile application.

As a result, our team managed to increase the energy efficiency of the heat pumps by about 4.35%. We also solved the problem of monitoring and maintaining energy systems, allowing users to change the parameters of the heat pumps remotely.

Green Energy Solutions

Green energy is one of the possibilities for using IoT based energy management systems. Be it IoT solar power panels provided by Schneider Electric or wind turbines, they can all facilitate energy-saving in residential or commercial buildings in various industries.

Green energy can be managed with IoT systems in the same way as conventional energy. You can connect sensors, devices, and software to monitor energy use in real time.

Smart City Infrastructure

Another application of energy management in IoT is smart cities. The Internet of Things can help tackle energy efficiency issues and reduce environmental pollution, as illustrated in the Leapcraft platform. Cities can use ioT-based energy management systems to control street lighting, charging stations, etc.

The Future of Using IoT in Energy Management

The Internet of Things in Energy Management is fundamentally transforming the way modern smart devices operate. And given the rapid energy consumption growth forecasted in the coming decades, IoT can become a viable solution to this problem.

Utility companies are already implementing IoT in energy saving into their processes. According to Inmarsat research, 77% of such organizations have deployed at least one Internet of Things project.

Such matters as equipment performance monitoring, smart metering, and HVAC systems are becoming more and more significant. In the future, we expect that utility companies will more often use such IoT-based solutions in combination with artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and cloud computing.

In addition, future energy management involves transitioning to remote asset monitoring and management automation with data analytics. Among the most significant changes, we expect energy companies to take a course toward a more holistic view of their operations by implementing universal IoT energy management systems.

How WebbyLab Can Help You with IoT Energy Management

Get access to profound experience in IoT energy management system development by cooperating with WebbyLab. Our professionals have a proven track record and numerous successful projects in this field.

One of our projects is the 2Smart Standalone automation platform. It’s a universal tool for deploying a smart home or providing automation at other facilities such as greenhouses, office centers, or industrial enterprises.

Controlling Standalone devices using the 2Smart Cloud mobile app.

The platform’s architecture allows you to connect devices on any IoT protocol. However, suppose it’s necessary to use a rare protocol to implement its support. In that case, it is enough to add a bridge that will ensure the interaction of devices with the MQTT broker of the platform using this protocol. Therefore, there are no restrictions on the support of IoT devices.

2Smart Standalone offers out-of-the-box automation scenarios, or our team can deliver custom ones for specific objects and devices. Consequently, the proper setting of automation scenarios avoids unnecessary heat and electricity consumption. For example, the house owner can turn off appliances such as electric heated floors, towel dryers, and hot water circulation when necessary.

Got interested? You can view ideas for other IoT-based energy management solutions in our portfolio.

Read also: 20 IoT Business Ideas & Opportunities for Startups in 2023

Maksym Lesnikov

Chief Technology Officer

Helped dozens of startups create effective digital products.

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Start Managing Energy with IoT Solutions

The Internet of Things energy efficiency is the next step in energy management. Implementing IoT-based systems means more economical use of resources, lower utility bills, increased automation, reduced carbon footprint, and better equipment monitoring and maintenance.

Companies in charge of energy operations or regular consumers: everyone benefits from energy-saving IoT technologies. If you want to experience those advantages yourself by launching your IoT energy management platform, WebbyLab can help.

Our experts carefully consider the individual requirements of your business and skillfully transform them into efficient, scalable, and flexible IoT solutions. So contact our team to calculate and implement your project concept right away.