Intro to SMEasure

A web-based building energy analysis and carbon monitoring tool helping businesses save money and reduce carbon emissions

Why was SMEasure initially created?

The tool is developed by building energy researchers from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute.

SMEasure started over three years ago when we realised:

  1. The poor quality of building energy data is holding up the energy research community from doing in-depth work on reducing the energy use and carbon emissions of the built environment.
  2. There is a lack of good web-based building energy management tools specifically designed for the needs of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).

We aim to fill both these gaps by providing informative and easy-to-use web-based software for UK businesses in the first instance. The anonymised data collected through SMEasure directly feeds into advancing building energy research and in turn improving the results analysis given to users.

It is important to note any data sharing setting preferences within SMEasure (e.g. within a federated account) are determined by the account owner. See the terms and conditions as well as privacy policy for further details.

Why use SMEasure?

SMEasure provides comprehensive energy analysis needed to inform a business energy management plan. It has been designed to be compatible with a number of the energy and carbon reporting requirements of regulation and voluntary initiatives, including:

  • For Regulation: Carbon Reduction Commitment, Display Energy Certificates and Energy Performance Certificates
  • For Voluntary: ISO 14001, BS 16001, Carbon Trust Standard, Julie’s Bicycle Industry Green and Corporate Social Responsibility

How does SMEasure work?

SMEasure requires no kit. Results are based on you providing regular gas and electricity meter readings manually recorded into each building profile. From this information SMEasure can present you with a wealth of graphic and numeric results on energy use, carbon emission and money spend. It gives you information on your business under- and over-spend for building energy use. It will also tell you your best and worst energy performing buildings if you are monitoring multiple buildings within your account.

SMEasure seamlessly integrates weekly heating degree days, which are then used to determine the energy performance of the building against weather conditions. The degree day data used in the software is the most accurate and comprehensive in the UK. Using the degree day data and energy use data prepares the performance line, control chart and CUSUM analysis for each building being monitored by an account holder. This feedback is essential for measuring building energy performance, benchmarking with similar buildings and targeting energy efficiency opportunities.

SMEasure uses the latest government greenhouse gas emission conversion factors published by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.

What are the SMEasure account options?

SMEasure is flexible to the building energy management needs of your business.

  1. A single account

An account holder can choose to manage an individual or multiple buildings within a single account. Guest users can be invited to have access to a building profile, but be given no editing privileges to the account.

  1. A federated account (invitation only, if interested please contact us to be invited to test)

The federated account feature is ideal if a business has buildings geographically spread and/or is a franchise business. A federated account has a master administrator (i.e. account ‘owner’) for all buildings being monitored by a business. The account ‘owner’ invites people to be a ‘building manager’ for particular buildings. The ‘owner’ can decide whether a ‘building manager’ can be a guest to other buildings in the business (i.e. see profile information of other buildings, but cannot edit the building profile). In addition, straightforward guest users can be invited to access a building profile, but be given no editing privileges to the account.

What is SMEasure beta?

SMEasure is in a trial testing period as we refine the features of the software to ensure it most meets your needs. Over the last year we successfully tested our SMEasure prototype with a selection of invited businesses in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle. We have now opened the SMEasure beta version to all interested businesses. SMEasure is free whilst in beta, after which you will be able to continue to use SMEasure for free or upgrade to a paid plan for premium features. All paid plans will come with 30-day free trials. Users will be informed well in advance about the end of the SMEasure beta period. At any time users can export building(s) energy data.

Joining the SMEasure beta gives you the opportunity to feed in the technical developments that you think are of prime importance at an early stage. The SMEasure looks forward to working closely with our users through this development stage to ensure we are providing real value-added to businesses wanting to monitor and manage their energy use.

Who has provided the funding support for SMEasure?

SMEasure was supported initially with funding from the UK Energy Research Centre. Recently we have received Natural Environment Research Council funding support to take SMEasure to the next stage of technical and business development over the coming year.

Have any comments or questions?

Please contact the SMEasure team to ask us anything about the technical and business development of SMEasure.