As a Senior Data Analyst working at GridPoint, I work with customers representing a wide variety of verticals. This unique experience has given me perspective into the varied needs of energy management system (EMS) users. From optimizing occupant comfort to controlling energy peaks, to reporting on food safety, there is a seemingly endless number of ways users leverage the valuable energy and environmental data that GridPoint collects.
Many GridPoint customers have designated energy management teams who spend a portion of their day analyzing energy trends on their computers. A large number of our customers, however, are constantly on-the-go. They wear many hats at work, and while they require access to their energy and environmental data, they need it in a streamlined and accessible medium. Understanding our customers’ needs ultimately led our team to develop GridPoint Energy Manager Mobile 2.0.
Mobile 2.0 expands upon the capabilities of GridPoint’s preliminary mobile offering of real-time data and site details to include historical trended data, site schedule, and setpoint data, energy consumption summaries, temporary control overrides, and more.
Below are adapted stories that represent common use cases our customers have relayed to us regarding their app use:
Use Case: Cooler Temperature Record Keeping
Key Mobile Features: Trends; real-time data
I am a site manager at a fast-casual franchise restaurant. My priorities are to ensure that customers dining with us are delighted by our food, service, and atmosphere. A big part of my job is ensuring food safety. Part of our food safety initiative includes tracking cooler and freezer temperatures. While our cooler data is available on the GridPoint Energy Manager portal and even gets summarized in daily reporting, I often need to reference cooler temperatures periodically during the day. I use GridPoint Energy Manager Mobile’s trend graphs feature to export historical and real-time records of our cooler and freezer temperatures. With just a few taps, I can extract meaningful temperature data from any point within the last two years and send it to my colleagues.
Use Case: HVAC Repair Tracking
Key Mobile Features: Real-time data; trends
I lead the HVAC maintenance team for a national retailer. My job is to ensure that my technicians make repairs quickly and effectively. My team relies on real-time data to verify repairs that have been made. We have incorporated GridPoint Energy Manager Mobile data into our repair and verification process. For example, before repairing, a technician will drop the cooling setpoint on a unit and track the corresponding kW load and duct temperature. Once the repair has been made, the technician will track these same metrics in real-time to confirm whether the repair was performed successfully. The technicians then export and email the real-time tables to record that their repair was performed successfully.
Use Case: Override Assessment
Key Mobile Features: HVAC tiles; HVAC overrides
I am a facilities manager overseeing 45 retail locations across the Northeast. We have a strict corporate energy policy to save money and reduce carbon emissions. My performance is measured based on how well I curtail energy spend at our sites. We have corporate setpoints, and I must approve all setpoint change requests. I leverage GridPoint Energy Manager Mobile to verify zone temperatures are justifiably uncomfortable for occupants before allowing the override. If the site requires a temperature change, I will perform a temporary control override from my mobile app. I can also check historical data to determine whether the unit at a site may be experiencing a problem. Armed with this data, I can schedule prompt repairs without even going to my office to use my computer.
Use Case: Site Consumption Analysis
Key Mobile Features: Site Energy Dashboard
I am a site manager for a locally-owned neighborhood convenience store. We do not have a designated energy manager at the company, so it is up to me to follow best practices to curb our energy consumption and lower our bills. I am constantly on the move, therefore it is helpful for me to access my energy consumption through my mobile device. GridPoint Energy Manager Mobile’s Site Energy Dashboard is particularly useful for me, as it ranks my highest consuming assets by consumption and peak. This data showed me that while refrigeration and other equipment are typically our highest energy consumers, our HVAC system is responsible for many of our monthly peak charges. With this simple insight, I implemented a Load Curtailment algorithm to shave up to 5% off my peak. Additionally, I like to leverage the Site Energy Dashboard’s custom time period selector to compare the GridPoint-metered usage against our billed usage to ensure that utility metering is accurate and I am not being over-charged for my usage.
We hope the use cases outlined above inspire our customers to draw even more value from the GridPoint system. To view a demo video or download the app, visit our Mobile Energy Management page.