EDF demonstrates real-time energy monitoring to the world

Posted on 18 Jul 2012 by The Manufacturer

The official electricity supplier to the London 2012 Olympic Games has installed real-time energy monitoring technologies across the Olympic park and other iconic city land marks.

EDF hopes the technology will demonstrate to a wider business community the new capabilities of its ‘Visi’ product and highlight the benefits this technology can bring.

A statement from EDF claimed that the widespread use of Visi during the Olympics will “bring the energy consumption of the 2012 Games to life”.

Members of the public will be able to track the energy consumption of Olympic events through EDF’s ‘Power the Games Live’ initiative which is supported by a mobile-friendly website.

Visi helps energy users track consumption in a visually appealing and accessible manner. The aim is to make it easier for consumers to understand what drives changes in demand by pointing to external influences on consumption such as weather conditions.

The technology will also help users understand how building design and sustainable technologies such as low energy lighting and natural ventilation impact on energy consumption and energy costs.

During the Olympics the Visi system monitoring the Velodrome is expected to highlight the advantages of sustainable building with particularly vividly.

Visi is now available to business customers, with tailored sector specific versions for retail, manufacturing, education and commercial business models.

For its business customers EDF hopes that Visi will allow more intelligent energy management, but also support the engagement of employees in energy efficiency initiatives.

Businesses can compare historic energy trends with real time data and managers can add notes on best practice behaviours for reducing energy consumption. The technology allows energy and environment professionals to pin point the effects that certain machinery and utilities have on overall usage.

Apart from the Olympic park, other high profile London venues now benefitting from Visi are Tower Bridge and the EDF Energy London Eye.

Sid Cox, EDF Energy director of B2B, said that Visi will bring new energy saving opportunities to businesses by providing detailed insight into energy use and the effects of automated controls on equipment.

He added that the technology displays energy information in a meaningful way. “It provides a new way to help the energy manager successfully engage their colleagues in their business’ energy story. It allows staff to see, almost instantly, how their actions affect the company’s energy use in way that makes sense to them. We believe it will be very motivating for energy managers and employees alike.”