As utility costs continue to increase, many property managers are exploring submetering as an option to save money. Historically, multi-tenant properties would often bill each tenant for a fixed percentage of utility costs. The traditional approach actually benefits the least efficient tenants...

In our previous post, we covered some of the factors that should be taken into account when considering a battery storage system (BSS). Today, we’ll explore several popular battery technologies. Note that all values are approximations based on a variety of market offerings in the US and may not reflect current market offerings, geographical location, or other factors.

In 1890, the Western Union Telegraph Company utilized a battery storage system consisting of 20,000 zinc-copper cells. The installation was designed to provide power in the event of a utility failure. Modern battery storage systems are designed to meet the same goal. However, the technology has improved significantly -- the cost of batteries, controllers, inverters, and other necessary hardware has decreased to the point where battery storage systems (BSS) are a realistic option for many property owners. There are a number of key factors to explore when considering the purchase of a BSS, including:

As hardware installation costs drop and consumer confidence improves, solar installations are becoming more and more common. Small arrays (<10 kW) are becoming cost effective for business and even individual homeowners. A solar array can be used to avoid paying for energy produced by a utility company, and some utilities even compensate owners for the excess solar production that is fed back to the utility. However, this is not the only source of potential income for owners of PV arrays. Many states now allow individual solar producers (including homeowners) to generate additional income by creating and selling Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs). Since SRECs are traded separately from the actual energy produced by these arrays, they represent a potentially untapped source of income with little to no additional effort on the part of the producer. There are a few important terms to understand when learning about SRECs.

One of the most frequent topics that I encounter while talking with customers about energy monitoring is the importance of measuring and correcting power factor. In a practical sense, power factor is a ratio of the amount of electrons actually being used by a system divided by the amount of electrons charged to you by your utility. These two values are often very different, especially in commercial buildings where you see large and/or inefficient equipment. While power factor correction gets the majority of attention, other opportunities can provide a less expensive means of achieving efficiency and savings, like demand optimization.