September 26, 2003—Obvius has introduced a new energy information solution designed for installation by electrical contractors and building owners, without the need for costly systems integration and specialized software.
The AcquiSuite data acquisition server (DAS) provides “plug and play” connectivity to meters from companies such as Power Measurement, Ltd., Square D, Veris Industries, E-MON and Siemens as well as any pulse output electrical, gas or water meter (up to 32 meters per AcquiSuite).
The DAS installs in minutes and uses either an existing LAN connection or phone line to upload data via the Web to the Building Manager Online (BMO) Web site. Energy consumption information is stored in user-selected intervals from 1 to 60 minutes and is typically sent to the BMO Web site on an hourly or daily basis.
Once the data is uploaded to the BMO Web site, the building owner or manager can access information from any Web browser, with instant access from one or many buildings. The energy usage information can be used for:
- Cost allocation to tenants
- Sub-metering of mechanical and electrical systems (lights, HVAC, etc.)
- Verification of operating parameters
- Benchmarking energy usage for one or more buildings
- Establishing load profiles for buildings to get competitive bids for energy supply from utilities
- Reducing energy usage by providing accountability
The cost of installing one AcquiSuite and one sub-meter (hardware and installation) is typically less than $2,000 per building. Additional sub-meters can be installed for a few hundred dollars, depending on the size of the service and wiring costs. The monthly cost for the Building Manager Online service is $20 per AcquiSuite, regardless of the number of meters connected to the DAS, so the ongoing annual cost is typically $240 per building.
For more information, contact Obvius.
