DMS Electric Department

Energy Management Systems

Jul 14, 2000

---

In general an Energy Management system will monitor the customers electrical consumption and control the operation of certain electrical equipment connected to the customers service such as air conditioners, air compressors, welders and refrigeration equipment. By controlling when such equipment starts and stops the energy management system controls the amount of electrical demand and decreases the demand reading on the customer?’s electrical bill. Sophisticated energy management systems will modify the operation of equipment so that it operates more in the evening than during the day. Customers billed on a time of use rate (paying less for kWH used from 11pm to 6am) see a significant decrease in their electrical bill when they are billed on a time of use rate. The DMS does not offer a time of use rate
Energy management systems are like ice cream they come in many flavors and sizes but they have several things in common.

1. They all cost money to purchase and install.
   
2. The salesmen generally overstate the amount of money that will be saved by the equipment.
   
3. They do not decrease the total amount of energy used only the time at which energy is used.
   
4. Properly installed and setup an energy management system will decrease a customers monthly billing demand.
   
5. They are most effective in decreasing a customer?’s electrical bill if the customer is being billed on a time of use rate.
   
6. They will not save a DMS customer money unless the customer?’s bill includes a demand charge.
   

Remember energy management systems are not energy saving systems. They will not decrease the amount of energy a customer uses (in some cases they will increase the amount of energy used) but they may decrease their electrical bill. Also the way the DMS bills demand the customer may not see a decrease in their bill for up to 12 months.

---