New month, the new edition of DEXMA Partner Spotlight! For this 5th edition, we’re excited to introduce Enertips, a full-stack energy consulting firm for business.
Enertips specialises in energy management and energy efficiency projects led by a multidisciplinary and dynamic team. Their energy efficiency projects have been carried out in a wide range of sectors, including industrial manufacturing, hotels and restaurants, education, sports facilities and retail chains.
Joining us for this Partner Spotlight interview is Dani Puigdomènech, co-founder and project director at Enertips. Read on for the full interview:
First off, congratulations on joining the Dexma Partner Community! Why did you decide to become a Dexma Partner?
Our ultimate goal at Enertips is to facilitate the management of energy resources for our customers and offer permanent control of energy consumption and costs in order to detect energy savings opportunities.
The huge volume of energy data we work with made it necessary to adopt an efficient energy management tool to respond to the needs of our customers.
We selected DEXMA Dexma Energy Intelligence Platform for its advanced technology, but also because it is a software with excellent user experience when it comes to actually implement energy efficiency measures.
What are the 3 biggest “pain points” of Enertips clients?
1) Intuition ≠ knowledge. Most of our clients had a reasonably clear feeling of how they were consuming their energy but did understand the reality of their energy profile in detail. To be able to go one step further toward energy efficiency, it is essential to measure and verify exactly where consumption occurs.
2) No time. In many cases, energy analysis and accounting are reduced to invoices and annual negotiation costs with utilities. In others, periodic measures were taken, but deep analyses remained sporadic. This is because most companies cannot afford to spend resources dedicated exclusively to energy management. For this reason, the permanent supervision of an external and independent energy manager offers significant value.
3) Measurement and scalability. One of the biggest reluctance companies have when investing in energy efficiency projects is uncertainty around final results. “Seeing is believing,” as the popular saying goes. However, with tools such as Dexma, the results of the different measures implemented can be measured explicitly. This brings value not only to energy managers who apply them, but also to anyone interested in carrying out similar measures since all results obtained are rigorously documented through energy reporting.
What are your main objectives at Enertips?
Customer satisfaction. We work tirelessly so that all of our clients are 100% convinced that we will maintain their energy profile at the optimal level, permanently.
And, of course, we strive to achieve energy savings, but also avoid overage costs. In a relationship based on long-term energy management, pure savings are secondary to dynamic management and adaptability to change.
How does DEXMA help Enertips clients overcome energy obstacles to create success stories?
DEXMA enables users to discover their full energy savings potential in each case, by revealing the energy impact of key equipment used in different business activities. Thanks to a relatively affordable hardware system, enormous control over consumption can be achieved.
DEXMA Platform also has a system of programmable alarms for consumption thresholds as excesses and penalties, allowing users to automate control and save time and extra costs.
Finally, a monitoring system such as DEXMA is key in making energy management systems successful (think ISO50001) by systematising periodic checks and evaluating the impact of energy-saving actions within the continuous improvement plan.
Where has Enertips been this year? What can we expect from your company during what’s left of 2017?
In 2017 we made a huge effort to develop our business towards the implementation of integrated energy management systems, with the support of Dexma and DEXMA Platform
To close the year, we will make a very positive assessment of the projects launched and confirm that we are on the right track.
And for 2018, what will be your new challenges?
By 2018 we aim to continue betting on independent and quality energy management while offering the best possible customer service.
We’ll continue expanding our consulting services to help companies calculate their carbon footprint and reduce it in conjunction with an energy improvement plan.
At the same time, we will keep offering the possibility to design, coordinate and execute environmental marketing plans to help companies become green brands. We also work to communicate and promote those business models that are committed to energy efficiency and are socially and environmentally committed.
Tell us 3 energy trends that you see transforming our industry in the near future. Which one are you most excited about, and why?
The issue of automated energy forecasting is very interesting for us, especially if we combine it with non-traditional tariff formulas such as indexed rates with periods of price coverage. In these cases, it is very important to be able to predict energy demand during certain periods to try to adapt the hedging strategy and minimise the risks of overage penalties. In this sense, the forecasting functionality of DEXMA seems a good initiative that we will keep on our radar.
Another trend, which in fact has already become quite mainstream, is the interest in calculating the carbon footprint of business activities. Enertips is already offering this service, both using Dexma application, as well as performing manual calculations. There is no doubt that, in a short time, most regulations will also go in this direction. Therefore, first-mover companies gain a significant advantage here.
Lastly, another line of business that we think will take off very soon, even in Spain, is the recharging network for electric vehicles (EVs). Neighbourhood communities, shopping centres, businesses and even individual users will end up needing recharging points. Still, it remains to be seen what the time scale will be as well as the potential role of energy management systems in this area.
The European Parliament recently presented new energy efficiency targets (40% reduction by 2030) and plans to promote renewable energy. How will these directives affect Spanish energy policy, which has historically resisted the transition to renewable energy?
Data on the impact of how we currently use energy on our planet are increasingly alarming. For this reason, global organisations, governments and citizens must begin to take action on the matter. In this regard, we applaud the energy action plan promoted by the European Union.
More and more governments are understanding the need to update their energy and environmental policies. For instance, the Parliament of Catalonia recently approved a law on climate change that established energy savings and efficiency targets, the promotion of renewable energies and a new energy model based on zero fossil fuel consumption, among other actions.
Another example of the proposals of this law is a carbon tax on any economic activity that causes air pollution, which aims to contribute to the objectives set by European Union policy.
Which sectors of the Spanish economy are most receptive to energy management?
The industrial sector, due to the massive reduction in energy costs can be achieved thanks to real-time control of resources. The hospitality sector (hotels and restaurants), not only values economic savings but also a greener brand image; and sports facilities, for whom resource optimisation such as electricity and water is vital.
What regulatory changes are needed for the Spanish market to be more competitive in the global energy sector?
In a way, a good start would come from doing a 180-degree turn, in other words just the opposite of what has been done so far…
Spain must start promoting renewable energy and technological innovation with a long-term plan o that investors feel safe.
Also, promoting real competition in the three links of the energy value chain: production, distribution and commercialisation. Right now, only 10% of the total energy cost is liberalised.
It does not make good economic sense that the 3-4 largest producers in the energy sector (the same ones that have a monopoly over distribution and the majority of the market) can sit at the negotiating table with the government – the only ones with the ability to raise or lower the price of energy at will.
Finally, if regulators end up on the boards of directors of those same utilities, a vicious circle closes which prevents Spain from benefitting from a competitive energy market.
Very interesting insights from Dani Puigdomènech, thanks for your time!
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