Metering point operation ensures transparency of energy data
The drugstore chain dm has over 3,350 stores across Europe and is one of the most attractive employers in Germany. The reason for its success, in addition to its popular products, is the company’s sustainable social commitment.
Due to steadily rising electricity prices in Germany, dm-drogerie markt began introducing a holistic energy management system in 2008. How much energy is needed for heating, cooling and ventilation? Where can energy be saved? For smaller stores in particular, which are not covered by so-called registering power metering (RLM), these questions are difficult and imprecise to answer.
Initially, smaller stores were equipped with the latest metering technology from Tengelmann Energie GmbH (TEG) for data collection. Since then, in addition to the daily transmission of meter readings, 15-minute load profile data has also been provided to TEG’s central IT system. This serves to check for completeness. After this final check, the data is transmitted to the dm central office. Via the TEG dashboard, the consumption values can be displayed on a daily basis and form the basis for invoice verification, among other things.
Through the detailed evaluations, emerging consumption fluctuations can be precisely identified and analyzed. The automated provision of predefined reports is also part of the functional scope of the innovative EnerBoard online tool.
The transparent cost control of energy consumption convinced the dm management, so that the conversion of more than 200 dm stores started in February 2013. As the construction work required the stores to be disconnected from the power supply, all work was carried out in the evening after the stores closed.
„The project benefited from smooth communication between headquarters, the store and the electrician,“ explains Michael Albring. He is responsible for metering point operation at Tengelmann Energie. By August 2013, over 90 % of the stores had already been converted. Since then, the electronic meters have been sending their data daily to the dm headquarters in Karlsruhe.
In this way, the nationwide uniform metering point operation of Tengelmann Energie considerably simplified the data procurement processes for dm. The transparent visualization of energy consumption brought the company a big step closer to its goals of sustainable management.
