How to Keep Track of Your Total Energy Consumption – According to EnEfG and GEG

How to Keep Track of Your Total Energy Consumption – According to EnEfG and GEG

With the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) and the Building Energy Act (GEG), numerous regulations and challenges are imposed on companies. In the past, we have explained these details in various professional articles. In addition to implementing energy management systems and continuously monitoring all primary energy sources, energy managers must also keep track of efficiency potentials and heat emissions. Here’s how you can succeed.

 
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Dear Readers,

What turbulent times we are living in. Economic and political developments are making headlines daily, with no end in sight. The energy transition also continues to bring both challenges and opportunities. In this newsletter, we aim to provide some clarity amid the chaos. After all, our world revolves around energy—everything measurable and calculable.

New Laws, New Challenges

We have previously written about the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) and the Building Energy Act (GEG). Both aim to reduce (total) energy consumption while improving energy efficiency. Additionally, they seek to increase the share of renewable energy sources. A crucial step is to measure the consumption of all energy sources, reduce waste heat where economically and technically feasible, and uncover and utilize energy-saving potential. The energy data management systems (EDM systems) mandated by these laws are designed to make this possible.

According to §8 of the EnEfG, companies with an average energy consumption of over 7.5 GWh over the past three calendar years are required to implement an energy or environmental management system. The GEG, on the other hand, calls for companies and institutions operating e.g. ventilation systems with more than 290 kW of nominal capacity to install a building automation and control system. Such a system must record various data, including energy inputs and outputs, (process) temperatures, and heat quantities of all heat-conducting media. It should also provide insights into measures for avoiding or recovering waste heat.

Many Metrics, One System

What sounds complex can be almost effortlessly implemented with an advanced system like visual energy. This energy data management software not only enables real-time recording and logging of consumption but also allows energy managers to create comprehensive action plans through analyses and evaluations. visual energy complies with ISO 50001 standards and equips you to meet the requirements of EnEfG and GEG, tailored to your individual needs. Below, we’ll explain how our customers are already utilizing this software.

How to Determine Your Total Final Energy Consumption

Before initiating energy-saving measures, you first need an overview of the energy sources you use. An energy management system must support and evaluate all possible types of energy—such as gas, heat, and electricity. Many legal requirements are tied to total final energy consumption. With visual energy, this is no longer a challenge. The system allows the integration of various measurement technologies, even from third parties. Some customers have already integrated over 1,000 measurement points for different media into the system. Using the formula editor, you can not only intelligently link these measurement points but also calculate specific metrics. Additionally, the Excel add-in allows flexible data processing tailored to your needs. The integrated dashboard designer enables you to visualize your energy data in real time, configured to your needs and accessible anytime, anywhere, even online.

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Figure 1: The visual energy dashboard provides a quick overview of your energy sources and their respective consumption—configured according to your requirements.

Comprehensive Analysis and Management Functions Required

But this is just the beginning. Data only becomes useful when concrete conclusions can be drawn from it. visual energy excels with its extensive analysis methods. You can identify performance peaks, receive notifications to quickly assess risks, and initiate follow-up actions. This allows you to optimize your energy consumption and avoid unnecessary costs.

A similar goal is pursued by the growing number of operators of so-called hybrid systems that rely on renewable energy generation. Using solar panels or cogeneration units, they are increasingly producing more electricity on-site while still drawing power from the grid when needed. This is driven by rising energy costs and the Energy Efficiency Act, which has introduced new legal requirements: Since the beginning of this year, data centers are required to source 50% of their energy from sustainable sources—a requirement that may be extended to other industries in the future. The self-generated electricity is stored on-site, used directly, or fed into the grid, depending on demand and the storage systems used. For this to work effectively, intelligent load management is essential, as provided by visual energy in conjunction with the multimax system.

Identifying Waste Heat – But How?

The Energy Efficiency Act also calls for a more sustainable approach to handling waste heat. If your company has a total final energy consumption of more than 2.5 GWh, you are required to avoid residual heat based on the latest technology. If this is not feasible, residual heat should be reused wherever possible. Additionally, companies must provide information about the measures taken to both customers and authorities. Here, too, the mandated energy data management (EDM) systems prove invaluable.

You should therefore rely on software capable of analyzing all media. By correlating the power consumption of the respective systems, insights into waste heat can be drawn—or you can measure the parameters directly and precisely at the device, which is also possible with visual energy.

One approach to this is the so-called heat quantity formula. For example, using the precise flow sensors from our partner Wingold Messtechnik, you can measure the temperature of outgoing air, air volumes (in normalized cubic meters), and outdoor temperatures. Once these sensors are integrated into visual energy, their values can be used directly in the formula editor. In this case, you simply apply the following formula:

Q = Airflow x Specific Heat Capacity x Temperature Difference (Exhaust Air vs. Outdoor Air)

This allows you to calculate energy outputs from all exhaust points, visualize the data, and submit it to the BAFA portal as required.

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Figure 2: The integrated heatmap illustrates the periods with particularly low or high energy consumption. It is also ideal for visualizing waste heat.

Developing Action Plans

The Energy Efficiency Act also mandates the creation of action plans to gradually improve energy efficiency. These must be made available to customers and authorities. An EDM system like visual energy, with native support for such functionalities, enables you to derive and clearly communicate actions directly from your analyses—all in one place.

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Figure 3: In visual energy, you not only maintain an overview of your consumption but also gain direct insights into measures to improve it.

Conclusion

As you can see, implementing an energy data management system is not just a legal requirement—it also offers numerous advantages, especially in times of high energy costs, and prepares you for the future. visual energy helps you comply with the Energy Efficiency Act and the Building Energy Act as effectively as possible while optimizing your energy costs and operational reliability. Whether you want to learn more about visual energy or are generally interested in corporate energy management, we are happy to assist you.

Our recommendation: Book a consultation with one of our experts today. Alternatively, feel free to join one of our webinars. We look forward to hearing from you!Best regards,

Jonas Klaus | Technischer Redakteur

Jonas Klaus
Technical Editor
KBR