Glossary · Energy and utilities automation
Energy monitoring
Also known as: Energy metering
German: Energieüberwachung
In industrial automation, energy monitoring is the continuous measurement and visualization of energy consumption, such as electricity, gas, compressed air, steam or heat, at plant, area, machine or device level, to make consumption transparent and detect deviations.
- Energy
In one sentence
Energy monitoring continuously measures and visualizes the consumption of electricity, gas, compressed air or heat to reveal patterns and deviations.
Example
The HMI shows the energy consumption of each machine per shift, and an alarm is raised when idle consumption exceeds the usual level.
How it applies
- Engineering: Energy meters, power measurement modules and drive data provide values; the control system or an energy platform collects and displays them.
- Operation: Operators and energy managers see consumption per product, shift or state, which reveals waste such as machines left running during breaks.
- Maintenance: Rising consumption can indicate wear, for example in bearings, pumps or leaking valves, and can support Condition-based maintenance.
- Documentation: Manuals should explain which energy values are shown, their units and accuracy, and how to use energy-saving functions. Specifications should define what is measured and at which interval.
Energy monitoring vs. power monitoring
Energy monitoring covers all energy carriers and focuses on consumption over time. Power monitoring focuses on electrical quantities such as power, current and voltage, often at higher resolution.