Energy management system ideally suited for energy conservation

As the Kyoto Protocol came into force, problems associated with energy demand and supply have recently become a major global issue. Against this backdrop, in Japan, the revised Energy Saving Law took effect in April 2006. Under this law, the scope of business sites obliged to take energy-saving measures has been expanded, subjecting the industrial sector to stricter regulations and heavier demands for energy conservation. This situation has resulted in companies' need for reducing CO2emissions that cause global warming while at the same time cutting energy costs. OMRON's energy management system serves this dual purpose through visualization of energy usage.

With this system, sensing terminals are mounted onto power meters or distribution boards installed at business sites or other facilities, and data collected by the terminals are transmitted via a mobile phone network and accumulated in the dedicated server. Users can check electricity consumption data any time online and analyze it in detail. This provides an easy way to conduct a thorough and in-depth assessment of energy consumption that serves as the basis for devising energy-saving measures.

OMRON's system also provides users with added convenience with its remote control capability by allowing easy adjustment of parameters from a remote location.

Energy Management System That Visualizes Energy Usage

OMRON's system is at work in kindergartens and schools in Kyoto

In September 2006, Kyoto City established a municipal ordinance against global warming for the first time in Japan. Through measures such as an action plan intended to reduce CO2 emissions, the city began proactively promoting anti-global warming initiatives. Ongoing activities include, for example, turning off lights in unnecessary areas, switching power off when equipment is not in use, and building green rooftops to help cut energy consumption through the enhancement of heat insulation. As part of this drive, OMRON's energy management system was put into use at 283 facilities including municipal elementary, junior high and high schools and kindergartens during fiscal 2006.

At present, these facilities are collecting basic electricity consumption data every day using this system, with the aim of promoting energy-saving activities through the monitoring of energy usage.

Kyoto City Board of Education estimates the effect of the system deployment to be approximately a 1.6% reduction in electricity consumption, resulting in electricity costs being lowered by approximately 40 million yen.

Raising the environmental awareness of children

Kyoto City held environmental education seminars for facility managers of schools, who actually use this system, to raise their awareness of energy conservation by studying the purpose and significance of using the energy management system. OMRON staff was also present at the seminars, encouraging participants to implement energy-saving activities on a daily basis through visualization of daily usage of energy.

The system can also show fluctuations in energy usage in the form of a graph, providing an at-a-glance indication of the effects of energy-saving activities.

Kyoto City therefore plans to use this system for environmental education by showing how much energy can be saved by carefully turning off lights whenever possible.

Aiming for a more substantial contribution to environmental conservation

OMRON also realized more comprehensive remote monitoring of energy usage by enabling this system to measure gas and water usage in addition to conventional electricity consumption. At present, OMRON's system has been contributing to energy-saving initiatives by various manufacturers and other users.

For the future, OMRON will propose a more advanced energy management system by upgrading its function from visualization of energy usage to energy-saving support.