Maximum efficiency: Energy management for a successful energy transition

Hager Group House in the dark filled with lights

The energy transition cannot be achieved at a bound, but only step by step. The first on the way to a more climate-friendly energy supply is the move away from fossil fuels and the greater use of renewable energies. Another is the responsible, sustainable, and more efficient use of energy.


In order to move from fossils to renewables, the energy transition needs some help – and this is provided by intelligent energy management, which thus becomes a decisive factor for success. 

No energy transition without efficiency

Wildpoldsried in the Allgäu region has long been where the world is supposed to be. The municipality took the energy transition into its own hands 30 years ago. Wind, sun, water and biogas supply the whole place with electricity. In fact, even with eight times more electricity than the houses and businesses need in the first place.


What sounds so simple is the result of many years of collaborative efforts and preparations. After all, the energy transition poses several challenges at once. On the one hand, from a global perspective, a steadily increasing energy demand must be met, and security of supply must still be guaranteed. 

Hager Group House with sollar pannels from the top

On the other hand, there is a sustainable, diverse electricity mix with fluctuating electricity feed-in and decentralised generators, who are increasingly also consumers ("prosumers").  To explore this topic more thoroughly, feel free to take a look at "Why the Future is Electric."

To reconcile both sides, a rethink is necessary: How do we deal with the available energy in the future? And how can we use them better, more efficiently? The answer to this question is provided by the electrical industry: with smart energy management. This helps to ensure that  electricity is always directed to where it is needed most. Or store it when it's not needed. In any case, energy management systems are an enormously important piece of the puzzle to bring more efficiency to the energy transition.


The right questions for more energy efficiency

To save energy and increase energy efficiency, the right questions must be asked: Where, when and for what purpose is how much energy needed? And how does it get there?

The foundation for effective energy management lies in finding answers to these questions. It doesn't matter if you're trying to enhance electricity efficiency in a single-family home, an apartment building, a commercial facility, or a factory. To make genuine improvements, it's essential to have a thorough understanding of electricity generation and consumption.


Once these questions are resolved, you can take the appropriate actions based on the gathered information.

Energy management – and what it takes

In order for an energy management system to be fully effective and ensure a higher degree of energy efficiency, the conditions must be right. Ultimately, the aim is to create a permanent, harmonious interaction of all components – from power generation to consumers – with the help of systematic energy management.

Renewables & Storage

 

Of course, in addition to lower consumption, greater efficiency also means lower CO2 emissions. This can only be achieved through the increased use of renewable energies. The potential for an adequate energy supply with solar, wind or hydropower is given. 

At the same time, however, renewables come with demands, as they are volatile and do not always deliver their maximum output exactly when it is needed. The solution is to supplement it with energy storage systems. These contribute to grid stability and help private households to significantly increase their own consumption of self-produced electricity. 

 

An energy management system acts as an intermediary here – keyword "intelligent networking".

Data & Digitization

 

Without data, nothing works in energy management. Therefore, all information is recorded, from the amount of energy generated to detailed analyses of when which consumer in the house needed how much energy.

Why is this so important? Because smart distribution of energy contributes, among other things, to consuming more self-produced electricity and drawing less from public grids. And this not only reduces electricity costs. Less electricity also needs to be produced elsewhere to meet the demand.

Digitization – for example in the form of smart metering – is the key to capturing the necessary data in the first place and translating it into useful measures.

Intelligent networking

 

Energy management brings together all relevant information on power generation and energy consumption. This is where the decisions are made that contribute to greater efficiency.

Digital solutions, open data interfaces and stronger networking help to control all energy flows in the building in a targeted manner: for smart charging of electric cars in the garage as well as for peak load management in industry and commerce.

Artificial intelligence is an additional facilitation because it can automate the processes of data collection, analysis and implementation in measures. On the one hand, this is even more convenient, but on the other hand, it also allows even faster adjustments – and even more efficiency.


The human factor in the energy transition

In the end the energy transition and the pursuit of greater energy efficiency are also about getting people to rethink. Not only in terms of the importance of renewable energies, but also in terms of their behaviour. The most efficient and climate-friendly electricity is the one that is not consumed.


The electrical industry can make a significant contribution to achieving this rethinking and the necessary behavioural changes for a successful energy transition: with simple, convenient solutions that offer clearly recognizable added value. 

Hager Group - Family eating around a table

Straightforward retrofitting of the electrical installation in existing buildings is therefore an important factor. 


This applies in the same way to a transparent, comprehensible and user-friendly visualization of measurement results. Or the convenient operation of energy management and building technology via mobile devices.

There is an enormous potential in technology. It can make people more aware of how they use energy and at the same time show them opportunities for improvement – which can be implemented directly and thus immediately bring about positive changes in their lives. In the end, the most important factor in the energy transition is still people. And with its energy management systems, the electrical industry has great leverage to convince people of the energy transition.

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