The repercussions from the most recent Texas grid emergencies are far and wide, and resonate for years to come.  As we look towards the future, there are several things that commercial clients and facility managers can do to be better prepared the next time local grid conditions are challenged.

1) Take this opportunity to review contracts and understand applicable utility tariffs and third party electricity supply contracts.

• What exposure do I have to increased costs when volatile weather and market conditions occur?
• Where do I look to learn more about my cost profile for electricity?
  • Commodity and energy costs vs. demand and delivery costs
• What utility programs are available for demand response that can assist with reducing costs?
• What is the opportunity cost of losing power again, and how does that match with opportunities for emergency backup generation? 

2) Review access to proper levels of interval data and load profile

• What smart meter data access is available to see how many facilities respond to inclement weather?
  • What sub-meter, building automation system, or IoT data is accessible?
• What notification services are setup across the organization and tied to pricing and grid notification events?
• What Demand Response strategies are appropriate for my facilities and assets?

3) Reduce your footprint with both efficiency and demand management

• What Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and energy efficiency measures should be evaluated?
  • i.e. Solar, storage, and monitoring systems
• What can be done to ensure my facilities are as efficient as possible from both an overall efficiency and demand standpoint?
• What energy and sustainability benchmarking tools like ENERGY STAR have been deployed, and are they continuously monitored?

While these recent events, and the process of assessing where you’re at can be overwhelming, THG is here and ready to help you efficiently evaluate, measure, monitor, and respond to make sure that your facilities and personnel are well positioned to respond to these challenges.

Don’t let analysis paralysis find you heading into the summer season having unprepared facilities, incomplete data, and unproven load management strategies.   Let us help you move forward confidently and armed with the information critical to making the best decisions for you and your facilities, ensuring alignment with your organization’s goals, and budgets.

Contact Us for More Information On How THG Can Support Your Energy Management and Sustainability Efforts.