Matthew Margetts - Director Smarter Technologies

Why building energy monitoring remains pivotal in 2022 and beyond

Matthew Margetts — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 10:52:54 +0000

In the face of climate change and dwindling natural resources, energy conservation and carbon reduction is a major goal of the 21st Century.

Another driving factor is the rise of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues. Driven by demands from consumers, investors and stakeholders, as well as regulatory change, ESG is reshaping the way that businesses of today operate.

According to a 2020 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is essential that we decarbonise and transform our cities and buildings. Although this can be a complex process, digitalisation is a significant enabler of the carbon-reduction revolution.

The transformative potential of digitalisation became even more significant during the COVID-19 pandemic, which shows us how modern technology can provide a substitute for in-person tasks and interactions—and often a more efficient one at that. Similarly, embracing smart technology can help businesses, buildings, homes and cities reduce and optimise energy consumption.

What does energy efficiency look like?

Sustainable energy efficiency aims to minimise the amount of energy used without hindering economic growth or compromising our quality of life. This can include:

Avoiding energy losses
Recycling and reusing various types of waste
Reducing energy demand
Using renewable sources

An energy monitoring and control system is a crucial ingredient in any energy efficiency strategy.

Deploying a smart building energy management system allows a building and its equipment to become more efficient and more environmentally friendly. Notably, the implementation of energy management solutions provides building and facility managers with comprehensive data that allows them to understand their current energy consumption and how it can be reduced and optimised in the future.

The role of an energy management system is to:

Gather information from various energy sources and users
Monitor energy, demand and power quality
Analyse multivariable and single-variable data to identify problems and trends
Provide alerts if energy consumption goes beyond set parameters or if any failures in mechanical or electrical systems are detected
Integrate with the control systems to enable automation
Identify energy wastage
Benchmark the building’s energy consumption
Facilitate effective energy visualisation and analytics
Provide data dashboards and trends for energy consumption
Enable effective decision making

5 key benefits of a smart energy monitoring system:

Reduce energy consumption for both environmental and economic benefits
Reduce running costs through smart automation and control
Minimise maintenance and repair costs by picking up potential problems quickly
Improve the conditions and comfort levels for users of the building
Demonstrate ESG values

By monitoring energy supply 24/7, an energy monitoring system allows managers to reduce unnecessary wastage. For example, if excess solar energy is being produced but isn’t being used, there may be scope for the facility to reduce its reliance on the grid.

Energy management software collects all data into an online (often cloud-based) portal, presenting facility managers with the opportunity to manage their energy remotely through any connected device. This allows them to maintain control over high-voltage equipment and complex building operations from anywhere in the world. Instant alerts can notify managers of any irregular power supply issues or other energy discrepancies, allowing them to respond quickly when needed. In addition, automations remove many manual management tasks.

In the ESG space, climate change continues to be a leading consideration. In 2022 and beyond, the global transition towards net zero is likely to continue at pace. An energy management system has an important role to play in helping managers work towards net zero in both a micro and macro capacity.

IoT technology has become a business change accelerator. Facility and building managers of today can now employ smart technology to achieve net zero objectives. Armed with actionable data, they will be able to address energy consumption and efficiency both now and in the future.

How smart technology can assist small businesses transition to future net zero

Matthew Margetts — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:07:46 +0000

Every business in the UK has a part to play when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. It’s often large businesses and “gas-guzzling” industries such as manufacturing and oil that are in the limelight for energy offences.

However, it’s important to consider that small businesses also play a significant role in the transition to future net zero.

The UK Government recently launched the Together for Our Planet campaign. As the UK’s 6 million small businesses make up 99% of the UK’s enterprises, it’s time to acknowledge the small, but practical steps each and every small business in the UK can take to reduce carbon emissions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Every step that a small business takes on their journey to net zero adds up–not only in protecting the health of the planet, but also in future-proofing their business and encouraging new investment, new customers and new opportunities for growth. We are providing the support and advice small businesses need to join us and become leaders in the fight against climate change.”

The campaign calls for all small businesses to lead the charge to net zero, encouraging them to pledge to cut their emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner through the new UK Business Climate Hub.

The Together for Our Planet Business Climate Leaders campaign supports small businesses in taking their next steps to reduce emissions. The hub provides small businesses with practical tools, resources and advice on steps to take to reach net zero. These include:

Installing energy-saving light bulbs
Switching to cleaner forms of transport, such as electric vehicles
Using environmentally-friendly packaging options
Replacing windows with energy-efficient alternatives
Switching to renewable energy suppliers
Installing rainwater harvesting systems
Reviewing procurement to include local and sustainable suppliers
Installing heat pumps and electric charge points for vehicles
Increasing solar energy production
Installing smart meters

There are huge opportunities for small businesses to go green. In doing this, they not only play their part in saving the planet from the impact of climate change, but they can also grow their businesses and ensure they are fit for the future.

Other benefits to small businesses include:

Differentiating themselves from the competition

Attracting new customers

Attracting new investment

Saving money on their running costs

Smart technology makes achieving these objectives simpler and easier. Smart metering, centralisation of energy and monitoring of building assets can empower organisations to make the right energy decisions and build a brighter, cleaner future for all.

Smart metering and automated meter readers

It’s true that what you can measure, you can manage. Smart meters and automated meter readers (AMRs) help you take control of your business’ energy use and costs. They also put an end to estimated billing and manual meter reads.

You can either replace a traditional meter with a smart meter or retrofit AMRs onto your existing meters. These devices provide real-time consumption data, giving you an accurate understanding of your business’ energy consumption habits and insight into how you can make your operations more efficient. For example, you could lower your energy consumption and emissions significantly by turning your heating down by just one degree. Your smart meter or AMR can give you the data to prove this.

Smart building management system

A centralised system that allows for advanced energy reporting and monitoring will allow business owners to periodically adjust their energy use according to peak times, identify inefficiencies and reduce energy consumption and cost overall.

A smart building management system can also control other parts of the building, such as heating, lighting ventilation and air conditioning. Different areas and functions of the building can be fitted with sensors and connected via a data network that feeds real-time information into the management platform.

For example, occupancy sensors can be used to automatically control heating and lighting systems—if there is no-one in a room, lights and heating can be turned off (thus saving energy). This is just one example of the power of smart technology in helping small businesses reduce their energy consumption in both the short-term and the long-term.

The time is now for small businesses to take action against climate change. This will help them seize new opportunities, grow, encourage investment, create new jobs and adapt to the challenges of our changing planet. In addition, reducing emissions can lower your business’ running costs, save you money and help attract new customers. Using smart technology will, ultimately, help you maintain a competitive advantage as we head towards a net zero future.

The language of business in the 2020’s

Matthew Margetts — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 13:31:42 +0000

Each business cycle requires a new vocabulary to capture the spirit and essence of the age.

Formerly, we have seen words such as ‘disruption’ and ‘digital transformation’ as the argot that defined the 20-teens; before that, we spoke of ‘integration’ and ‘enterprise’. If you think back to the jargon of the 70s and 80s, ‘decimalisation’ and ‘computerisation’ featured heavily along, with the phrases: ‘Big Bang’, ‘flying pickets’, ‘collateralised debt’, ‘leverage finance’ and ‘share options—all of which have shaped our thinking and helped us to understand the circumstances under which we are operating.

The word ‘pivot’ clearly defines the business culture of the 2020s. Even prior to the word being used to describe business recovery during COVID-19, European governments (and, by extension, businesses) were changing direction to meet challenges and overcome obstacles that Brexit and leaving the single market brought to the fore.

The image pivot calls to mind is that of a sailboat changing tack, as it suggests that to be capable of pivoting your craft (the business), you need to able to move rapidly in a coordinated and controlled way.

Over the past few months, I have been reading about and speaking to businesses that, for economic reasons, have had to pivot—from drinks companies switching production from spirits to hand sanitisers, to exhibition stand companies producing screens for cashiers to stand behind. And there are hundreds more, providing an antidote for the negativity and certainly profiting from the experience.

Clearly, however, there are others that are not faring well. The hospitality and tourism industries have taken a battering, and the spectre of zombie businesses kept going by state aid remains high. It would be naïve to imagine that every business can pivot, especially since being able to pivot (besides describing a change of emphasis and production) is also a positive word that denotes an organisation with the flexibility to manage and overcome a crisis. And, by extension, not being able to pivot is a negative, that surely implies risk in terms of viability or sustainability?

The ‘new normal’ suggests that pivoting is going to be with us for some time, along with new ways of working via Zoom and Teams teleconferencing further informing the ways we think about and define the business of doing business.

I recently found someone who had gone through the whole recruitment phase on Zoom, was appointed and started working from home, and had been instructed that she would not be going into the office until 2021. I suspect this scenario is becoming commonplace; certainly prior to COVID-19, multinationals were operating V-teams, so a natural extension is the virtual office environment—a portion of your home. Not only are marketers turning to hyperlocal tactics, so too has the working environment become more isolated and insular.

But workplace relations are important to getting things done; the water cooler conversation is a part of the work culture. So how do you describe a colleague who perhaps is pivotal to you doing your job but who you have never physically met, a shadow colleague, a web worker or screen buddy? Also, how do you create a culture, a team ethos if you cannot bring people together? I have seen team building events running over Teams which are a hybrid between computer games and the crystal maze, but I’m not sure how effective they are at creating chemistry.

I foresee an era of ‘plug-in’ employees, in which your written stills need to be balanced with your video skills. Facetime may evolve to offer full production values, underpinned by a body of continuous study and training so that you can pivot in your role to help pivot the business, a business that you may have only known via the web.

Those who struggle to make the shift will be isolated, more remote and removed in a society that is fast-closing—the shops on the High Street where we were suited and booted, and the bars and bistros that gave rise to the working lunch and which have informed part of the British business scene for decades may soon be an echo of the past. Equally, we may lose over crowding on trains, the misery of commuting and the argy bargy of shopping as everyone moves now in the same direction. One thing is certain, the decade is going to be a new, rich, source of describing the way business works.

The 2020 Business Language Glossary

Pivot – implementing change to take your business in a new direction.
New normal – a new way of living and going about our lives, work and interactions with other people.
V-teams – Microsoft-speak for a virtual team.
Virtual office environment – working remotely using a range of business functions accessible through the internet.
Hyperlocal marketing – focuses on a smaller number of customers in a very specific area.
Plug-in employees – plugging into certain skill sets as and when required.

An award worth winning

Matthew Margetts — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 08:36:55 +0000

Do awards ceremonies matter in a year in which industries have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, and with a bleak outlook for parts of the economy?

The short answer is ‘yes, more than ever’. Awards give us an opportunity to promote the best, the great, good deeds accomplished and lessons learnt from the examples set.

In my career, I have been involved with a number of industry awards or initiatives focused on celebrating the “best of breed” in various categories. In each case, the challenge as a promoter, producer, or even judge has been finding scale in the number of entries to make the selection of the final candidates a meaningful exercise. That said, without exception, I have never seen an award (given in a year) being offered to someone who didn’t deserve it. As a result of being involved in the process, I have indeed been privileged to meet some outstanding companies managed by some equally remarkable teams and led by extraordinary individuals who represent the very essence of entrepreneurship; people you would want to be associated with.

So, yes, I am a big fan of awards and the benefits they offer companies. However, I temper that enthusiasm with a critical eye on what awards should accomplish for the businesses concerned. As I see it, companies enter awards for two primary reasons: either to communicate to the industry that they have arrived, or to celebrate the achievements of the team; ultimately, it boils down to wanting to say something big about themselves. Therefore, for an award to achieve the desired objectives, it needs to follow some basic guidelines that I would summarise as follows:

Worth it

First and foremost, an award must be seen by the companies or parties being judged as worthy of winning, often by assessing peer competitors or the companies that have won the award in the past. So, the award needs to benchmarked against previous entrants; or, if it is a new proposition, to present scores as a measure of merit. This prestige can be built on over the years; the more granular, the better, ensuring that companies that don’t win can learn from the feedback and look to understand what they need to change to move forward.

Peer-review status

The award must be judged by professionals with a sound understanding of the territory they are covering. I remember one particularly niche award I once launched was won by a company that didn’t care for the principal sponsor, and didn’t even particularly want to attend the gala dinner for winners. All they cared about was the judges and being able to use the endorsement of the panel of industry experts of their tech stack to attract Series A funding, which they got as a result of wining – investors actually commented they weren’t sure of the technology but rated the judges, so that gave them the confidence to invest.

Networking

You want to be in the room with the players. In ‘awards speak’, this means curated events where entrants – not just winners – can get together to source capital, talent, advisors and market access. It is simply too much to expect businesses to connect in one night at the presentation dinner. Rather, awards should offer a pathway for entrants to meet new contacts, hear fresh ideas and ultimately begin to use the experience to generate revenue.

Getting the organisation thinking

In one of my first jobs, the division I worked for enjoyed extraordinary overseas sales. This had not been planned; rather, it was one of those happy accidents that had transformed them into an international business operating in a specialist sector. So, I applied for the “Queen’s Award for Export” (for reasons I won’t bore you with, we did not pursue it). However, prior to considering entering the award, the leadership team had never really studied what had happened in the business as they had been too busy meeting demands. But when they were asked to think about and present the success of the business, they began to think about what they could do to nurture growth, what further planned expansion would look like, and to consider the cost of sales. As a result of this evaluation, changes were made to benefit the business even further.

In summary, whatever you may think of awards, if they offer a route to meet more people, make more connections, get the organisation thinking and inspire change, then it is worth entering. And, who knows, you might even win…

Screening the sick: A balancing act for employers

Matthew Margetts — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:23:59 +0000

As businesses re-open following the COVID-19 lockdown, how employers go about ensuring a safe system of work will present some unique challenges.

To curb the spread of coronavirus in the workplace, many employers are quick to institute temperature screening and testing policies in an attempt to meet their requirements around health and safety for workers. With data protection and privacy a critical consideration, business owners are faced with a careful balancing act when it comes to health screening at work.

The benefits of temperature checking staff

A high temperature is one of the primary symptoms of COVID-19. Temperature checking at work can assist in reducing the number of infections by empowering employers to take necessary precautions in the case of elevated temperatures. This can take the form of access control and isolation practices to mitigate risks around the virus. While employees are encouraged to work from home where they can, temperature screening can be a useful tool for those with no option but to go to their workplace.

Your duties as an employer

Safety in the workplace

Business owners have a statutory and common law obligation to ensure the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. In the age of coronavirus – and with the likelihood of many virus-related practices carrying on into the future – this means doing what is reasonably practicable to prevent the spread of illness at work. While there is no legal onus to conduct temperature screening, this can be immensely powerful in maintaining worker and customer confidence in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fever screening, data protection, and privacy

This duty of care to worker safety comes with responsibilities around how you collect and process data.

Alexandra Bullmore, employment lawyer at Smith Partnership said: “The current legislation defines information about an employee’s health as a “special category of personal data”, meaning that it can only be processed by employers in limited circumstances. This needs to be carefully considered as any breach can be extremely costly, fines can be issued by the ICO, employees may commence legal action against the company, as well as any reputational damage which may be caused.

“Employees must be notified of the infection risk as soon as possible, however, it is not necessary that the identity of the individual be disclosed if possible.

“Employers need to ensure they only share information that is necessary. People who suffer from certain health conditions are at a higher risk of serious illness or death if they contract COVID-19, and employers should therefore ensure that any requirements to attend work do not amount to discrimination and automatically unfair dismissal or a detriment where there is a serious and imminent danger to their health.”

Conducting a risk assessment and engaging in a consultative process with workers on the way forward is a good starting point. Devising a policy on COVID-19 data collection can also help to ensure only adequate and relevant data is collected, temporarily stored, and securely processed. Express consent from employees, anyone conducting screening, and visitors and customers should be sought. This should be wholly transparent, with accessible privacy information available at every step. According to CIPD, employees cannot be compelled to undergo testing and they should be able to refuse without fear of disciplinary action or wage implications.

Simple screening solutions

Digital screening has the potential to eliminate any grey areas around temperature checking. Today’s fever screening solutions merge simplicity with sophistication to mitigate risk and safeguard work environments.

Technologies take many different forms, from very simple to more advanced equipment with detailed outputs. Thermal cameras and temperature-sensing guns are becoming increasingly commonplace in public places and work environments. However, not all of these technologies are accurate, reliable or integrated – and many can be quite intrusive in their application.

Although, with businesses increasingly recognising their benefits, research, design and investment into the technology has been heavy, which has led to the development of screening cameras that do fit the bill.

For example, Smarter Technologies’ FeverCam solution uses an infrared thermal technology to detect high temperatures in individuals. Recordings can be linked to a central dashboard, which immediately notifies the relevant people of anyone that is high-risk. Larger fever cameras can scan crowds, while smaller cameras allow people to ‘self-scan’ and check for the presence of a face mask.

Ideally, data and reporting should be securely transmitted and stored to protect the privacy of the person being screened. Where readings are sent to a remote integrated dashboard, data can be accessed exclusively by selected personnel who can act with optimal discretion. This makes them GDPR compliant and capable of assisting business owners with responsible data collection.

In demonstrating reasonableness, these technologies allow for sensitive screening and data management. It has been designed to foster privacy whilst ensuring accurate collection of only relevant data for the purposes of virus screening.

What measures can be implemented alongside screening technology?

The World Health Organisation says that screening should be one of a combination of measures employed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. A few other measures to employ include:

Address risks. Together with employees, examine the various risks, touch points, and vulnerabilities within your work environments and strategise to mitigate those risks.

Work from home. Where it is possible for workers to conduct their duties from home, they should not be compelled to come in to work.

Self-screening. Workers who cannot work from home should be encouraged to self-screen, especially where they have a long commute. This reduces the chance of contact where someone believes they may be infected.

Distancing. While two-metre distancing may be relaxed in future, distancing is one way to minimise infections. This can be achieved through redesigned workspaces, staggered hours, funnelling busy walkways, and addressing potential bottleneck areas.

Virus and bacterial control. COVID-19 can remain infectious on inanimate objects from hours to days. Conducting regular fogging or deep cleans and automated UV control can serve to decontaminate touch points and work environments.

You can read the Government’s guidance on working safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.