Measuring appliance energy use

Use this guide to help you measure the energy use of your appliances over time, so you can identify which ones use the most energy.

On this page

• Introduction
• Step 1: Measuring your energy use over time and how it relates to your activities
• Step 2: Identify the energy-consuming appliances in your business

Introduction

Follow the steps described in this section to help you illustrate the pattern of energy use in your business. Collect this information over a period of time.

You will first need to analyse your monthly energy bills. Print out a copy of the following chart and use it to record your results: Identifying where the energy goes. (PDF, 98 KB)

This will enable you to measure the effects of any energy efficiency measures. It may well suffice for reviewing the effectiveness of free measures that you have implemented.

Further energy information about specific appliances will be required if the business is planning to invest finances in energy efficiency measures. Step 2 describes how to obtain this information.

Step 1

Measuring your energy use over time and how it relates to your activities

• How do your bills compare with actual energy consumption?
  You need to read your meters at least once a month. Next time you receive an energy bill, find your meters, read them, and compare the readings with those on the bill.

If you have difficulty finding or reading your meters, then contact your energy supplier who will explain where they are and how to read them.

• How do your readings compare with the billed reading?
  If the bill reading is larger than your reading, contact your energy supplier to arrange for a change in bill to be sent out to you.
• Keep measuring energy consumption!
  Now that you have started monitoring your energy consumption, you will know how much you are spending on energy, and by how much the price may have changed over the last year or so.

You will also have started thinking about why there are monthly changes in your energy consumption, and what you can do about that.

For example, if the energy bill increases dramatically when the heating is switched on, is there any way to minimise that increase?

Maintain monthly monitoring, both of your bill and of your meters. This will enable you to see instantly if your energy costs change and what the effect of implementing energy efficiency measures is. A spreadsheet will only take a few minutes to update each month.

You should also consider monitoring the consumption and costs of each different rate described on your bills. For example, monitor water heating or night rates during the week in winter.

Many large businesses have installed electronic energy management systems that measure their energy use at all appliances on a real-time basis. This lets them determine the effect of running certain pieces of equipment, and to identify any wastage.

Step 2

Identify the energy-consuming appliances in your business

This information can be collected in two stages. Each stage provides useful information.

The first stage is to identify which appliances consume energy in the business (Column A of the chart Identifying where the energy goes).

The second stage is to obtain information about the energy consumption of each appliance (Columns B to D of the chart).

The 'Business specific appliances' section refers to equipment that you use for your business. Some examples are:

• Café/restaurants will use cooking and refrigeration appliances and extraction fans.
• Manufacturers will use motors, compressors, or heating elements.
• Motels will have equipment in each unit and will use washing machines and driers.
• Schools will have computers in most classes.