Modern industrial energy management is becoming increasingly complex. New options for energy purchasing, consumption control, flexible operations, and energy investment opportunities make optimization a challenge. That’s why every journey towards efficient energy use now begins the same way – with data. Not just a single graph, but a deep, structured analysis across technologies, processes, and time.
This is exactly where FLOWBOX Data Intelligence comes in. It reveals where energy is being wasted, where it leaks without benefit, and where the biggest savings potential lies.
1. Mapping and Assigning Energy Consumption
You can't manage what you can't see
The first step is measurement – both main and sub-metering. The goal is to assign energy use to specific technologies, processes, or physical areas. FLOWBOX helps you see where exactly the energy is going and how it's being used. Without this “map”, it's impossible to detect waste or loss.
Our goal is to make as much consumption as possible traceable – to know where and when each part of the energy use occurs.
2. Breaking Down Consumption into Logical Blocks
Simplify complexity to find clarity
In larger operations, understanding energy flows as a whole is often overwhelming. That's why we break down consumption into logical, smaller blocks – making it easier to understand patterns and identify optimization opportunities.
Typical breakdowns include:
- By topology (e.g. distribution branches, buildings)
- By technologies (e.g. lighting, cooling, compressed air production)
- By processes (e.g. pressing, packaging, drying)
This enables analysis at both partial and system-wide levels, creating a clear overview of where and how energy is consumed – and where savings can be found.
3. Defining Metrics to Measure Efficiency
You can’t improve what you don’t measure
At this stage, we introduce automated, data-driven metrics that allow for continuous, objective evaluation of energy performance. These metrics help detect both long-term trends and real-time opportunities for improvement.
High-level (overview) metrics:
- Total consumption – what was consumed and where
- Idle consumption analysis – energy used during downtime (e.g. weekends)
- Dynamic efficiency analysis – how well energy use matches machine load
- Reserved capacity check – are you paying for capacity you don't need?
- Energy purchasing efficiency – does your buying model fit your usage?
Performance metrics (EnPI – Energy Performance Indicators):
For each block, we define specific indicators like specific energy consumption, performance efficiency, or key statistical values. These allow accurate comparisons between operations – regardless of size or layout.
A typical EnPI example: FLOWBOX compares production and consumption curves to identify energy usage without output – a classic sign of inefficiency. These gaps are then translated into financial loss or CO₂ impact.
Output: Real Numbers, Real Potential
This phase results in continuous, real-time monitoring of excessive consumption – and a clear view of where to act first. FLOWBOX not only proposes measures, but also simulates their impact – in both savings and CO₂ reduction. Data becomes actionable.
Where Companies Lose Money Without Knowing
Hidden inefficiencies that cost you daily
Detailed consumption analysis often reveals that major losses aren’t caused by a single issue, but by a mix of smaller, persistent inefficiencies within operations. Common issues include:
- High idle consumption – energy flows even outside working hours (nights, weekends, downtimes)
- Inefficient production processes – energy is consumed without proportional output, often due to poor machine setup, heat losses, or idle running
- Uncontrolled compressed air systems – one of the most energy-intensive systems, yet often overlooked or poorly managed
- Suboptimal energy purchasing – using pricing models that don’t fit your usage profile, missing out on better alternatives
- Overestimated reserved capacity – paying for peak demand you rarely reach, while ignoring ways to shift or reduce demand spikes
FLOWBOX Data Intelligence: More Than Analysis
It doesn’t stop at insights – it helps you act
FLOWBOX Data Intelligence gives you more than just analysis. It contextualizes inefficiencies based on your specific operations, enabling:
- Detection of all inefficiencies in context
- Automated real-time and historical analytics
- Simulations of operational or technology changes
- Data visualizations that simplify complex insights
- Quantification of savings and carbon reduction
- Reports for decision-making, strategy, and energy management
What’s more, FLOWBOX EMOS doesn’t stop at analysis. It can directly control technologies and help implement the proposed changes – in real time, with clear ROI calculations and decision support.
