Why energy management systems are essential

Clarke Controls Founder Clive Bodenham explores how an energy management system can support smarter building performance, technology, and benefits owners, occupiers, and facilities teams. 

With growing pressure on building owners and the construction industry to improve energy efficiency and meet net zero targets, smart controls are emerging as an increasingly popular solution. Energy management systems (EMS) offer a way for specifiers to reduce carbon footprints and energy costs in commercial and industrial buildings, particularly those with complex heating demands.  

Despite technological advances, heating is still the biggest energy drain in many non-domestic buildings. From warehouses and showrooms to retail parks and office complexes, heating can account for up to 75% of total energy consumption. Yet, in many cases, systems remain inefficient, decentralised, or reliant on outdated manual controls. 

This creates two major issues: wasted energy and uncontrolled costs. It also risks businesses missing sustainability targets. Smart energy management offers a smart solution: by making heating systems more intelligent, data driven and responsive, organisations can control their energy use and help futureproof their buildings. 

An EMS is a cloud-based platform that allows real-time monitoring, control, and optimisation of heating systems across one or more buildings. Unlike conventional control setups, an EMS allows facilities teams to automate and tailor heating strategies. Clarke Controls’ EMS integrates with both new and pre-existing heating infrastructure, ensuring a cost-effective upgrade without disruption. Through zoning, automation and smart diagnostics, the system transforms how buildings consume energy and how building managers maintain performance. 

Key capabilities of a smart EMS 

EMS platforms are designed to meet the real-world challenges of industrial settings. Key features available in Clarke Controls’ systems, for example, include: 

• Zoning and scheduling: Buildings are divided into heat zones, so only occupied or high-priority areas are heated, reducing waste and improving control. Those areas then have dedicated ‘Boost’ buttons for when they need targeted heating, minimising waste. 

• Remote access: Cloud-based platforms allow designated users to monitor and adjust heating across multiple buildings from one central interface. 

• Live data and insights: Dashboards display real-time energy usage and identify inefficiencies.  

• Automated adjustments: The system can respond automatically to events like extended door openings and different working patterns, including daylight saving time.  

• Scalable architecture: Whether managing a single building or a national estate, the EMS can scale accordingly and grow with your operational needs.  

Through work carried out with our customers, we believe an EMS can quickly pay for itself and provide year-on-year benefits to owners and operators. Our clients typically see up to 25% energy savings within the first year, helping to offset rising energy prices. Lower energy use also means fewer emissions, supporting corporate sustainability and ESG goals. Stable and zoned heating helps to improve occupant comfort while reducing the need for manual adjustments.  

Integrating with low-carbon heating systems 

EMS technology becomes even more critical as the industry shifts towards more sustainable heat sources, such as heat pumps, biomass boilers, and hybrid systems. By effectively managing and coordinating these systems, an EMS ensures they operate efficiently, delivering heat only where and when needed. 

Energy management systems are no longer niche or specialist technologies – they’re a key way for commercial properties to look to the future, save money, and cut their emissions footprint. Smart controls will play an increasingly central role in commercial building performance as regulations tighten and energy costs rise. 

www.clarke-controls.co.uk