Page 1
Monitoring energy
usage creates four
unique opportunities
Application Note
1. Quantifying available
panel capacity
When an electrician or technician
evaluates a panel, they start by
looking at its size—the number
and size of circuit breakers
installed vs. the number of empty
circuit breaker spaces. Based on
this observation, they estimate
how much power the panel is
using. However, there are times
when a panel that appears to be
lightly loaded with several empty
circuit breaker spaces is actually
overloaded, because of the size
of the loads on the other breakers. Or, a panel that appears to
be heavily loaded may be only
partially loaded with ample spare
capacity. Logging actual energy
use eliminates the guesswork
and saves unnecessary expense.
2. Identifying energy savings
Power loads vary as widely as
the facilities they are in. Some
facilities operate non-stop, while
others have very specific times
of operation and are relatively
inactive the rest of the time.
Energy loggers create a chart of
those usage patterns over time,
so that facility managers can
analyze when and how energy is
being used and determine where
there is room for improvement.
For example, an air handler running 24 hours a day may really
only need to operate during the
portion of a day when the space
is occupied. In other instances,
an energy-intensive process (e.g.
operating an industrial electric
From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library
Page 2
oven) may be able to be shifted
to the evening hours when electric rates are lower. Monitoring
how and when energy is used
reveals opportunities to reduce
energy usage by turning loads
off or adjusting the schedule of
when they operate.
3. Documenting
hazardous issues
To connect an energy logger, a
technician has to open and/or
remove the covers of disconnects,
motor control centers, panels,
switchboards and other types
of cabinets that aren’t accessed
very often due their high voltage
levels and the difficulty of powering down vital equipment. That
process creates an opportunity to
check the electrical equipment
for dangerous safety conditions
that may have evolved over time,
before they become disasters
(e.g. severely burnt insulation
on the conductor(s) feeding a
panel—a sign of an overload), or
serious electrical code violations,
such as fuses in a circuit that
are oversized for the conductors
they feed. Be sure to document
any hazardous issues found and
report them.
Safety note: technicians must
always wear the appropriate
personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow all safety
regulations when working on
energized panels.
4. Performing short
job surveys
Load studies are often conducted
when there is a specific need
for additional power. Setting up
the energy logger to conduct
the study provides an excellent
opportunity to perform a short
job survey for the project in
addition to monitoring power
use—document potential locations
for the new panel, installation
issues, the number of hours
required to complete the project,
and necessary material.
2 Fluke Corporation Monitoring energy usage creates four unique opportunities
Fluke Corporation
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206 U.S.A.
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or
Fax (425) 446-5116
In Europe/M-East/Africa +31 (0) 40 2675 200 or
Fax +31 (0) 40 2675 222
In Canada (800)-36-FLUKE or
Fax (905) 890-6866
From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or
Fax +1 (425) 446-5116
Web access: http://www.fluke.com
©2013 Fluke Corporation.
Specifications subject to change without notice.
Printed in U.S.A. 8/2013 6000861A_EN
Modification of this document is not permitted
without written permission from Fluke Corporation.
Loading...