Improve Utility Management with IoT

In a previous article, An Overview of the Benefits of IoT for Facilities, we took a broad look at the ways that IoT could benefit facilities, including safety and security, operations and management, utility management, and workplace environments. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper dive into how IoT can benefit utility management for your business or organization.

It wasn’t long ago that the arctic air of Winter Storm Uri barreled down on the US with fierce determination. Shortages of supply and failure to properly maintain and winterize utility assets led to power blackouts, natural gas shortages and water main breaks.

Here in the aftermath, utility pricing is skyrocketing. The price to fix or replace tends to come at a much higher price than preventive maintenance. Couple that with an increasing demand and a depleting supply and you have a recipe for crippling prices and some very unhappy customers.

You can’t change the past, but you can get a grasp on your utility management going forward. One way to make a considerable impact is to implement IoT systems within your utility management systems. By controlling your consumption, you can leave more for those that need it and reduce your overall utility costs.

IoT for Utility Management

There are a lot of different aspects of facility management that are easy to forget about when you’re trying to manage any business. From small businesses to large international organizations, it’s easy to lose track of how much money you’re spending on utilities. IoT can be the greatest tool any facility management team can use to assist with tracking and monitoring utility use throughout the business or organization.

Internal Meters

It’s one thing to rely on the data sent by utility companies to track and monitor what your utilities are costing you and how many ways you use them. Still, to truly understand the cost of your equipment and facilities, you should know how much utility consumption they require, and you can gauge that with internal meters.

Internal meters will allow you to track in detail what your utilities are costing you. You can isolate which pieces of specific equipment uses more power, what areas use more water or gas, when peak times occur and much more. You’ll also be able to identify if something is using more power than it should, if there is an area causing a significant drain, or if equipment is experiencing lulls or shortages. This information can not only help you control your utilities costs but also diagnose operations or maintenance issues before they become severe enough to cause damages.

Predetermined Environmental Conditions

Utilizing IoT for environmental conditions means that your organization or business can set up predetermined conditions that allow you to manage energy consumption throughout the facility. You can set up individual zones that can be temperature controlled to allow you to cater to specific areas and personnel needs.

Specific areas such as factory floors or administration offices require different temperatures, and IoT facility management means that you can cater to everyone’s needs without having to adjust thermostats throughout the facility.

Monitoring Peak Times

Often, businesses have different peak times of operation where there will be staff present in higher or lower numbers. You’ll be able to use monitoring and usage data to adjust internal environmental conditions to suit peak demand times, and when no one is there, automatic temperature adjustments can be made to suit low demand.

It’s a cost-effective way to control different areas of your business without having to individually adjust utilities such as lighting and heating. They may seem like small and insignificant costs, but when you look at the costs across the entire year, these bills can quickly add up.

When using the Internet of Things (IoT), data can be transferred and collected over a wireless network without the intervention of humans. It improves awareness, uniformity and response time, and may also help reduce costs. There are thousands of different ways that IoT can benefit your business, utility management is only one, but it may be where you receive the best information and have the most control over your facilities and assets.

Flagship Facility Services are experts in incorporating IoT into your utility management. We have experienced and professional teams ready to help your business with your IoT requirements and your integrated facilities management needs.