Rohde & Schwarz
Increase energy efficiency with efficient energy management
For companies with numerous sites and an even larger number of properties, it can be a challenge to implement comprehensive energy management efficiently. The technology group Rohde & Schwarz uses our econ4 energy management software for this purpose.
With its three divisions Test & Measurement, Technology Systems and Networks & Cybersecurity, Rohde & Schwarz is represented in around 70 countries. For the independent family-owned company, which is more than ninety years old, the pursuit of sustainability has always been part of its self-image.
Rohde & Schwarz had already set up an extensive metering infrastructure for recording energy data at some locations. In order to systematically increase energy efficiency, the measurement data had to be centrally documented and evaluated in sufficient detail. This was already relatively time-consuming due to the many differently managed buildings at the headquarters in Munich with very different meters and measuring devices. In addition, there were other locations whose energy data was also to be incorporated into the environmental management system.
In 2019, Rohde & Schwarz decided to introduce energy management software in order to make this process more efficient and to obtain better options for visualizing the data and for reporting. Above all, it should
- meet specific IT infrastructure requirements,
- have numerous interfaces for the integration of existing measurement technology and systems and
- impress with good usability.
After evaluating several products, the choice fell on our energy management software econ4.
Some solutions already fell out due to the IT requirements. econ4 was able to convince here and is also very strong in terms of interfaces. As I have also worked with other systems, I can also say that it is really easy to use and provides nice visualizations and reports.
Christian Fux, Energy Manager at Rohde & Schwarz
Worldwide roll-out
econ4 was first introduced at the headquarters in Munich and at the Teisnach, Memmingen and Vimperk plants in the Czech Republic. Consumption data for electricity, water, heating, cooling and gas are now fed into the software, as well as weather data, average monthly temperatures and heating degree days.
Now that Rohde & Schwarz has gained some experience with the system over the past few years, the plan is to implement the software at other of the technology group's more than 70 company locations in the future. The most recent participants in the global roll-out are the plants in Singapore and Malaysia. To ensure that energy management functions optimally, econ is organizing online training courses for the responsible employees at Rohde & Schwarz. "They are excellent and you can quickly get to grips with the software," says the energy manager.
Numerous interfaces
Devices with different interfaces need to be connected to econ4 at each location, from API interfaces to BACnet. "Everything has always worked wonderfully, including the connection to the building automation system," reports Christian Fux.
However, some water, heating and cooling meters do not support automatic data import. This data is entered manually into econ4 so that Rohde & Schwarz has a globally standardized, comprehensive reporting system. The corresponding meters are gradually being replaced by devices with communication interfaces. This is because automated data imports reduce sources of error and increase efficiency.
At the same time, the system is constantly growing, allowing the Group to gain more detailed insights into consumption. For example, a PDU (Power Distribution Unit) system is currently being connected via an API interface in the laboratory area of Rohde & Schwarz in Munich. The laboratory devices have a very high power and cooling consumption, so it is worth taking a closer look at them. The aim is to automatically import the consumption data at rack level into econ4. "We are currently working with econ to decide how best to implement this and what data we need," explains Christian Fux.
Conversely, data is also exported from econ4, for example to a reporting tool that Rohde & Schwarz uses for future EMAS reporting, among other things.
The organization develops with the energy management system
When the energy management software was introduced, there were initially only a few main users, but the structure within the Group has developed in parallel with the system. Today, 50 employees use it regularly: Christian Fux is responsible for the energy management software at headquarters and at a higher level throughout the company. The energy and environmental managers, maintenance managers, operations managers and facility managers at the respective locations monitor consumption on site and plan appropriate efficiency measures. "They know best what is possible and sensible in the various plants," says Fux.
Dashboards and reports for quick insights
The energy manager checks the daily consumption of important and energy-intensive systems on a daily basis. To gain a quick overview, he has created dashboards for this purpose. For example, when looking at the weekly consumption curves, Christian Fux noticed that the consumption of the ventilation and air conditioning systems was practically as high on public holidays as on working days. Now, in addition to the weekly timer programs, there is also a public holiday calendar that prevents the ventilation systems from starting on these days. This reduces electricity consumption at the Munich site by around 3,500 kWh per public holiday, in addition to savings in heating and cooling.
A monthly report is sent to the management. This is created and sent automatically in econ4. As some data is still based on manual entries, the energy manager only carries out a plausibility check. Based on this report, the energy and environment team meets every month to discuss whether the data is on track to achieve the energy efficiency and climate protection targets, where measures need to be implemented and investments made. An energy and environment circle is also held every six months to exchange information between the locations. "My colleagues and I are very satisfied with the software. It really delivers what econ promised us," concludes Christian Fux.
With econ, you really get what you were promised beforehand. The software is easy to use and offers everything we need.
Christian Fux, Energy Manager Rohde & Schwarz
