"We installed solar panels and replaced the chillers, so why aren't our electricity bills coming down?" This is a common frustration for many enterprises. The answer often lies not in the equipment itself, but in the lack of a smart management system. That is exactly what an EMS (Energy Management System) is for.
What is EMS? How is it different from BMS?
BMS (Building Management System) primarily manages equipment status: is the AC on, what is the temperature. EMS manages energy efficiency: how much power is used when, and how to minimize cost.
Shi-He Intelligent's EMS uses a microservices architecture with three core capabilities:
- Real-time monitoring at the second level — Captures power consumption data across the entire facility every second, displayed on a visual dashboard
- AI demand forecasting — Predicts next-day power demand in 15-minute intervals based on historical data and weather forecasts
- Automated dispatch control — When forecasts indicate contract capacity will be exceeded, the system automatically sheds non-critical loads or adjusts chiller schedules
How is the 76% saving calculated?
The 76% figure refers to savings on peak electricity costs. Taiwan's electricity pricing structure includes basic charges (contract capacity) and variable charges (actual usage). Peak rates are 2-3 times higher than off-peak rates.
By combining EMS with battery storage, enterprises can store power during off-peak hours and discharge during peak hours, dramatically reducing peak consumption. Combined with AI demand management to avoid overage penalties, peak electricity costs can be reduced by up to 76%.
Real case: demand management for an office building
We deployed an EMS for a small-to-medium office building. Office buildings typically have highly concentrated peak demand during daytime hours, and simultaneous chiller startups can easily exceed contract capacity.
After EMS deployment, the system uses AI to predict next-day demand, automatically staggers chiller startup times, and executes load shedding when overage is imminent. The result: contract capacity was never exceeded, significant monthly penalties were avoided, and air conditioning quality remained completely unaffected.
What size enterprise should consider EMS?
Generally, enterprises with monthly consumption exceeding 100,000 kWh or contract capacity above 100KW see the most significant ROI from EMS. However, even SMEs can benefit from smart energy management through our cloud-based EMS solution at a lower cost.
Further Reading
- EMS Energy Management Service — Full feature overview and technical architecture
- Office Building EMS Case — Real demand management results
- MW-Scale Storage & Taipower Trading — EMS in energy storage applications
- Solar-Storage Integration — Complete EMS + storage solution