Energy Monitoring
Energy monitoring is the measurement and review of electricity, fuel, steam, compressed air, water, or other utility consumption to identify cost, efficiency, and equipment-performance changes.
What this term means in maintenance
Energy monitoring is the measurement and review of electricity, fuel, steam, compressed air, water, or other utility consumption to identify cost, efficiency, and equipment-performance changes.
What energy monitoring covers
Organizations may monitor:
- Electricity
- Natural gas
- Diesel
- Steam
- Compressed air
- Chilled water
- Process water
- Other plant utilities
Practical example
A production line’s electricity consumption per unit increases over several weeks. Maintenance checks motor loading, air leaks, mechanical friction, and operating conditions.
Useful measures
Energy information may be reviewed as:
- Total consumption
- Consumption by asset or area
- Cost
- Peak demand
- Consumption per operating hour
- Consumption per unit produced
- Baseline versus actual
- Abnormal trend
Maintenance connection
Energy changes can indicate leaks, fouling, wear, incorrect settings, poor insulation, overloaded equipment, or inefficient operation.
Data context
Consumption should be compared with production, weather, operating time, load, and process conditions.
Common mistake
Reviewing total energy alone can hide whether the change came from production volume, operating hours, tariff changes, or actual equipment inefficiency.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Meter Reading
A meter reading is a recorded measurement of asset usage or operating condition, such as hours, cycles, distance, pressure, temperature, flow, or energy.
Condition Monitoring
Condition monitoring is the systematic collection and review of equipment-condition information to identify deterioration, abnormal operation, or developing failure.
Equipment Availability
Equipment availability is the percentage of required or scheduled time during which an asset is capable of performing its intended function.
Glossary FAQs
- What utilities can be monitored?
Electricity, fuel, steam, compressed air, chilled water, process water, and other plant utilities.
- How does energy monitoring support maintenance?
Abnormal consumption can indicate leaks, friction, fouling, wear, poor insulation, overload, or incorrect settings.
- Should energy be compared with production?
Yes. Consumption per unit, operating hour, load, or process condition is often more useful than total consumption alone.