Businesses can track energy use in real time and lower their bills with a new analytics portal developed by a Dublin company.
Technology group Cognition World, which specialises in sustainability solutions, says its device allows businesses across all sectors reduce their energy consumption, eliminate waste and improve sustainability in a cost-effective manner.
It has joined forces with energy supplier Energia, making the Energia Connect360 available to that group's business customers.
Connect360 allows companies to monitor peaks and troughs in their energy usage and ensure machines are being used at times that tap into the most favourable tariffs or grid capacity. It can also indicate machinery that is operating unexpectedly and help manage temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide in working environments.
‘Optimisation and sustainability’
It comes at a time of rapidly rising energy costs which are adding significantly to business costs. Cognition World chief executive Thomas McGrath says the Connect360 device helps businesses to understand historically hard-to-track issues that lead to waste.
“Without the ability to process large volumes of data at scale and in real time, businesses struggle to know where inefficiencies lie as they battle with manual or historic data,” he said. “We’ve focused on developing a solution that’s simple to use to identify ‘easy wins’ in energy optimisation and sustainability management.
“We’re enabling businesses to capture the ESG [environmental, social and governance] data needed to target those harder-to-reach inefficiencies, such as process and quality improvements.”
Self-installed hardware
He says can help business cut energy and operational costs by an average of 12.5 per cent while increasing ESG compliance.
Energia director Andy Meagher said his company was pleased to partner with Cognition World.
He said the initiative would “enable businesses to maximise their sustainable activities in a cost-effective and efficient manner and is aligned to our own ongoing digital transformation ambitions”.
Mr McGrath says the Connect360 has been designed for clients with no experience of energy management. The hardware is self-installed. Wireless sensors are clipped around the wires of machines and enviro-activity sensors are stuck with adhesive onto walls. That means no expensive site visits or costly installations.
The data collected is displayed on the Connect360 portal. Clients can see real-time performance as well as historical anomalies.
Founded in 2018, Cognition World works with clients ranging from farms and construction sites to manufacturers and local government in Ireland, Britain, Europe and Canada.
