The Tinytag Energy Logger is an easy to use portable data recorder which monitors single and three phase power usage. Identifying electrical consumption is of key importance in helping to reduce and control energy usage and costs.
Regular monitoring can be very effective: it is often easier to look at logger readings than attempt to decipher electricity bills (which are often estimated) or meter readings! The Energy Logger uses non-invasive flexible coils to monitor the current in each phase of a three phase supply, while voltage information may be obtained via a standard 13A wall socket. It also records Power Factor (PF) data, a measure of power transmission efficiency: this can be significant because power companies typically charge a higher rate for industrial or commercial customers with a low PF.
The Energy Logger can be used for spot-checks or for longer term recording: data is downloaded to a PC, where it presented initially in graphs and tables in the Tinytag Explorer Software. Results from separate logging runs can be combined for comparison and evaluation. Analysis of readings helps identify times of peak load and power hungry or inefficient equipment, helps to build consumption profiles, monitors electrical distribution, provides sub-metering information, and helps assess the performance of energy saving initiatives.
The Energy Logger is ideal for use by consultants, contractors, installers, facilities managers, energy managers and more. It can sometimes lead to very direct savings: for example, in Gemini Data Loggers’ own production facility, recorded data revealed that the reflow oven accounted for about 15% of the full electricity bill. Gemini was able to initially reduce this by carefully controlling its use, and ultimately replacing it with a more efficient device. Monitoring can also lead to more unexpected discoveries. In one case, temperature monitoring by school caretakers revealed that central heating had sometimes been set to come on over the weekend. In another example, an employer, using an Energy Logger, discovered his employees were switching off their equipment and leaving early on a Friday! ‘Before and after’ monitoring can help in the evaluation of, for example, replacement LED lighting or Building Environmental Management Systems.
Energy monitoring and careful analysis of results can lead to specific, straightforward and practical ways of cutting energy consumption and meeting environmental management targets. And with costs rising all the time, it is likely to become even more of a priority.
Gemini Data Loggers has been manufacturing the Tinytag range of data loggers in the UK since 1984, and trades globally with a network of over 40 distributors. The Energy Logger costs £795 +VAT for the full kit needed to start logging. A five minute video giving an overview of how it works can be found on Gemini’s website.
Gemini Data Loggers
Scientific House
Terminus Road
Chichester
PO19 8UJ
+44 (0) 1243 813000
sales@tinytag.info
www.tinytag.info
