Smart Energy Monitoring Solution for Industrial Facilities
Challenge
An industrial enterprise with multiple manufacturing plants in Germany was struggling to meet sustainability goals and reduce high energy costs. Their current method of manually collecting energy data was inefficient, leading to delays, inaccuracies, and missed opportunities for optimization. They lacked a unified system to see real-time energy use at the equipment level and couldn't easily spot inefficiencies or unexpected spikes in energy demand. This made it difficult to manage energy use effectively or detect problems early enough to avoid unnecessary costs.
Another major issue was regulatory compliance. To meet Germany’s strict energy efficiency standards, they needed accurate, time-stamped data, but their existing process was labor-intensive and prone to errors. It also failed to provide useful insights. The company needed a scalable, centralized platform that could collect, analyze, and display energy data from hundreds of sensors across all its sites in real time.
An industrial enterprise with multiple manufacturing plants in Germany was struggling to meet sustainability goals and reduce high energy costs. Their current method of manually collecting energy data was inefficient, leading to delays, inaccuracies, and missed opportunities for optimization. They lacked a unified system to see real-time energy use at the equipment level and couldn't easily spot inefficiencies or unexpected spikes in energy demand. This made it difficult to manage energy use effectively or detect problems early enough to avoid unnecessary costs.
Another major issue was regulatory compliance. To meet Germany’s strict energy efficiency standards, they needed accurate, time-stamped data, but their existing process was labor-intensive and prone to errors. It also failed to provide useful insights. The company needed a scalable, centralized platform that could collect, analyze, and display energy data from hundreds of sensors across all its sites in real time.
Solution
To solve these problems, the company implemented a centralized energy management platform built on ThingsBoard. Edge gateways were installed at each facility to gather data from smart meters, PLCs, and sensors using standard protocols like Modbus and OPC-UA. This data was then sent to the ThingsBoard platform via MQTT, giving them immediate access to both live and historical metrics.
Custom dashboards were created to show key data like power, voltage, and current for each machine or production line. The platform’s built-in rule engine allowed the company to set up alerts for when energy usage went beyond certain limits, detect unusual patterns, and even schedule non-essential systems to turn off during off-peak hours. The solution also integrated with their existing ERP systems, enabling them to automatically create reports and compare energy use with production output and machine uptime. This helped them pinpoint and address areas of high energy use.
To solve these problems, the company implemented a centralized energy management platform built on ThingsBoard. Edge gateways were installed at each facility to gather data from smart meters, PLCs, and sensors using standard protocols like Modbus and OPC-UA. This data was then sent to the ThingsBoard platform via MQTT, giving them immediate access to both live and historical metrics.
Custom dashboards were created to show key data like power, voltage, and current for each machine or production line. The platform’s built-in rule engine allowed the company to set up alerts for when energy usage went beyond certain limits, detect unusual patterns, and even schedule non-essential systems to turn off during off-peak hours. The solution also integrated with their existing ERP systems, enabling them to automatically create reports and compare energy use with production output and machine uptime. This helped them pinpoint and address areas of high energy use.
Results
Within six months of implementing the ThingsBoard solution, the company achieved a 12% reduction in overall energy consumption across all its facilities. The real-time dashboards were key to identifying peak energy demand, allowing managers to shift high-energy processes to off-peak times and significantly reduce electricity costs. Monitoring at the equipment level revealed several underperforming motors that were either replaced or optimized, leading to an 8% increase in energy efficiency.
Compliance reporting, which used to take days of manual work, is now completely automated and takes only minutes, with reports automatically aligned with national standards. The company also gained the ability to forecast future energy usage based on production schedules, which has improved budget accuracy and planning.
Most importantly, the ThingsBoard platform has created a strong foundation for future sustainability efforts, including carbon tracking and integrating with on-site renewable energy systems. The solution continues to scale with the company's evolving needs, enabling data-driven energy strategies that support both their long-term environmental and financial goals.
Within six months of implementing the ThingsBoard solution, the company achieved a 12% reduction in overall energy consumption across all its facilities. The real-time dashboards were key to identifying peak energy demand, allowing managers to shift high-energy processes to off-peak times and significantly reduce electricity costs. Monitoring at the equipment level revealed several underperforming motors that were either replaced or optimized, leading to an 8% increase in energy efficiency.
Compliance reporting, which used to take days of manual work, is now completely automated and takes only minutes, with reports automatically aligned with national standards. The company also gained the ability to forecast future energy usage based on production schedules, which has improved budget accuracy and planning.
Most importantly, the ThingsBoard platform has created a strong foundation for future sustainability efforts, including carbon tracking and integrating with on-site renewable energy systems. The solution continues to scale with the company's evolving needs, enabling data-driven energy strategies that support both their long-term environmental and financial goals.