Energy management should be up in the cloud
Many organisations, both in the public and private sector, are now looking to cloud computing to help manage their energy consumption.
Those with multiple sites are looking at ways to share energy data with a large number of site contacts and employees. They want a system that can help them delegate energy responsibility to site level and provide a means for updates and feedback to be shared without delays right across an organisation. Cloud-based tools can provide the solution that enables this access, at any time, from anywhere.
Cloud computing or “the Cloud” is a solution growing in popularity and has become an increasingly viable business option in the last few years. In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.
However, the lines between local computing (on your hard drive) and cloud computing can sometimes become a little confusing. That’s because the cloud is part of almost everything on our computers these days, for examples: Microsoft One Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft Office 365.
A true Cloud-based tool is only in the Cloud and not your local computer, it utilises the scalability of the cloud with hundreds of virtual servers powering the software tools. And with an online connection, the Cloud can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
One of the main advantages is that you don’t need to worry about maintaining the software yourself. The beauty of cloud computing is that servers are off premise, out of sight and out of your hair. Suppliers take care of them for you and roll out regular software updates.
An example of an organisation that has embraced cloud-based tools is Somerset County Council who have introduced the TEAM Sigma Energy Viewer, which allows site managers to see at a glance how much energy they use, make comparisons and interrogate costs.
With an energy management team of just three the council can’t physically go out to each of its 419 sites and manage the operational day-to-day use of energy.
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