How can Energy Managers, Auditors, and Consultants Redefine Their Role in the Digital Era?

The world is facing an energy crisis and the need to find new technologies to bring down energy consumption has become increasingly important. According to the IEA, building operations account for 30% of worldwide final energy consumption. In 2022, electricity accounted for around 35% of building energy use, a rise from 30% in 2010.?

Energy managers, auditors and consultants bear the responsibility of scouting and looking for new technologies that can help in the optimization of energy consumption in facilities. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have started to revolutionise the energy sector, requiring professionals in this field to adapt and embrace new approaches. It is crucial to be well informed and embrace technological advancements and digitalization that are not only transforming the industry but are extremely vital for a sustainable future.

Sooner or later, energy managers, auditors, and consultants will face the challenge of staying relevant and being equipped with new technologies.?

In this article, I list four ways energy managers, auditors, and consultants can use to thrive in the digital era and effectively contribute to sustainable energy practices. This article is inspired by a LinkedIn post and interactions on the post between industry experts.

Let’s start by looking at how you can navigate the digital era and incorporate technology into your Facility Management practices.

Embracing Change and Leveraging Domain Expertise

In the age of data-driven decision-making and technological advancements, energy managers, auditors, and consultants play an important role in providing their domain expertise. The integration of AI and machine learning into energy management systems has the potential to optimize energy efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize environmental impact. However, it also poses challenges for energy professionals in terms of keeping pace with new technologies and aligning with evolving industry standards. There are going to be two phases of relevance and irrelevance that most energy professionals will face in their career.

Phase of Relevance: Imparting Knowledge and Experience

Domain expertise is extremely important. When technology is being introduced, you have to teach the technology how to make decisions. Domain experts possess in-depth knowledge and years of experience in their industry. This knowledge provides context to AI applications, allowing them to effectively teach AI algorithms and models to address real-world situations. This is a phase of relevance, when new technology is being trained, the domain knowledge and experiences of energy professionals are being imparted.?

Phase of Irrelevance: Navigating the Changing Landscape

When the phase of relevance is over, and the technology is being widely adapted throughout the industry, after a point of time the technology will become more powerful and sophisticated, surpassing the average human's understanding. This will be the phase of irrelevance where energy professionals who fail to adapt and grow alongside these changes will risk becoming limited by existing tools and methodologies.?

To stay relevant, energy professionals have to realise the importance of continuous upskilling and staying abreast of emerging technologies. Energy managers, auditors, and consultants must proactively seek opportunities to enhance their skills, explore new technologies, and integrate data-driven approaches into their practices. They have to redefine their roles in this digital era to harness the full potential of AI. There is no turning back from AI or any other new technology. The only way is to keep up with it.?

Strategies for Redefining Roles in the Digital Era

To redefine their roles in the digital era, energy managers, auditors, and consultants should consider the following strategies:

1. Be More Curious

Curiosity is a valuable trait in the digital era. Curiosity fosters innovation. Energy professionals should always be curious and embrace a learning mindset. Curiosity will help them explore new technologies, understand their applications, and identify opportunities to leverage data and AI for better energy management, reducing their workload, and cutting down repetitive tasks.

2. Respect Data: The Power of Evidence-Based Insights

Data is the lifeblood of any technology. AI is trained with relevant data by domain experts. The more data is collected, the better will be the decision-making process. AI analyzes data from multiple sources and considers numerous factors simultaneously to make more informed and accurate decisions. AI identifies trends, predicts outcomes based on these trends and offers insights that human experts might have missed. For Example, in one of the cases where a new set of chillers was installed in place of older inefficient chillers, data indicated that the compression ratio (one of the success factors that influences chiller efficiency) was behaving differently. It is not normally considered for something new. In another site, the entire HVAC system was turbulent and inefficient, which could only be discovered using operational twins, which are models that analyse multiple data points. All of this works only when someone examines the data and then returns to the basics to address the problem.

Hence, you have to respect data and technology to support your recommendations and strategies. By matching observations, experiences, and insights with data-driven evidence, energy professionals can provide more accurate and impactful solutions.?

3. Avoid the "I Know It All" Premise

Having a "I know it all" mindset is not going to help and instead will only hinder progress. Energy professionals should acknowledge that they cannot always make the right decisions, and at times human decisions are based on biases. In this changing technological landscape, it is important to trust data and match it with observations. By adopting technology they can augment their existing skills and provide value-added services to their clients. The key lies in understanding the capabilities of different tools and leveraging them effectively in energy management practices to give better outputs in less time.

4. Acquire the Right Set of Softer Skills

Not everyone has to become a data scientist in the digital era. Instead, they should focus on developing the right set of softer skills, such as effective communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and asking the right questions. These skills enable them to collaborate with other technological leaders in the industry and facilitate digital innovations and help in the adoption of new technologies.?

Energy managers, auditors, and consultants need to realise that they can help in the adoption of technology and leverage these tools without prejudices. By embracing technology and digital platforms, they can augment their existing skills as well as others around them. It is more about creating a culture of innovation rather than being afraid of AI or any other technology.?

An expert’s advice: Don't Just Do Nothing!

Mike Besant, an industry expert said, “Don't just do nothing! If you're not sure about the change, do a trial." He emphasizes the importance of taking action and not succumbing to inertia in the face of digital transformation. It is important to experiment and try new approaches on a limited scale. If you are unsure how a particular technology can benefit your company, try implementing innovative solutions in a specific building or operation. The trials will reveal the pros and cons of the technology for your company. These trials allow for learning, adaptation, and refinement of strategies to match evolving industry demands.

Considering Suppliers' Business Offerings and Priorities

When embarking on the journey of digital transformation, energy professionals should consider the main business offerings of their suppliers. Are they primarily focused on selling hardware, software, or do they prioritize operations and environmental sustainability? Aligning their priorities and timelines for change with the suppliers' offerings ensures a seamless integration of digital solutions into energy management practices.

What it takes to thrive in the Digital Era

Energy managers, auditors, and consultants face great opportunities and challenges in the digital era. By being curious, respecting data, acquiring the right set of skills, and utilizing tools without prejudices, they can redefine their roles and contribute effectively to sustainable energy practices. It is time to put trust in data and technology to reduce workload and focus on upskilling to keep pace with the advancements. The digital era demands a continuous learning mindset, adaptability, and collaboration between domain experts and technology to shape a sustainable and more efficient energy future.

What do you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or DM me on LinkedIn!

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