Utility management software are essential tools for school energy managers. By monitoring and tracking energy consumption, these tools highlight the strengths and weaknesses of school energy management programs.
Often called Energy Management Information System (EMIS), many organizations use some type of EMIS software to track energy use. There are two main types of EMIS software: monthly utility bill management (tracks invoice and utility bill related data) and site-sourced interval metered data management (tracks direct energy through a building’s meter or sub-meters).
Here are four monthly bill management software solutions recently reviewed. Each tool is capable of tracking energy consumption and the impacts of an energy management program, but they differ in the ways users and data interact with the software.
Software overview
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head office location | North Carolina | California | Washington/California | British Columbia |
| Other schools using the software | Few | Many | Few | Few |
| Platform | Cloud | PC | Cloud | Cloud |
| Ease of use | Very | Not Really | Very | Some What |
As a PC-based platform, Utility Manager allows for five users to access the software and data. The other tools are cloud-based and are accessed from an Internet browser, and they have no limits on numbers of users.
Setup and training
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to configure | Hours | Hours to weeks | Hours to weeks | 2 months, including engineered baselines |
| Training | Included | Extra | Extra | Included |
| Ongoing support | Unlimited | Phone support for 1 year | Unlimited | 6 hours per year |
Although PUMA takes significantly longer to initially setup, the configuration is completed by PUMA and includes engineered baselines so data analysis can begin right away.
Importing data
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual data entry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automated data entry from utility company | Yes, for extra recurring fees | No | No | Yes, for extra recurring fees |
| Batch import of historic data | Yes | Yes | Yes | Coming Soon |
All four software options have the ability for data to be keyed in manually. School Dude and PUMA also feature automatic data entry, but for additional recurring costs. For batch importing, School Dude allows the user to import data or this can be done at setup for an additional fee.
Data comparisons and benchmarking
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Cloud | PC | Cloud | Cloud |
| Compares data to internal averages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compares data to other districts | Yes, but few school districts are currently participating | No | Yes, includes large database of benchmarks | Yes, through an annual report |
Cloud-based software is not only convenient for accessing the software and data from anywhere, but it allows for the data to be reviewed alongside other school districts. Most school districts in PUMA’s database are in Vancouver and the surrounding area.
Other features
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility forecasting and accounting tools | Strong | Kind of | Coming | Weak |
| Integrates with Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integrates with accounts payable | Yes | Yes, for an extra fee | Yes, for an extra fee | Excel export available |
| SMART tool export utility | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Costs
| School Dude | Utility Manager | Energy Center (UM) | PUMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First year | $$ | $$$ | $$$ | $$ |
| Recurring costs | $ | None | $$$ | $$ |
| Configuration | None | $$$ | $$ | $$$ |
| Automatic data imports | $$ | Not available | Not available | $$ |
Conclusion
In our analysis, School Dude was the best solution for the school district we were working with. As a PC-based product, Utility Manager is the exception to the group. The other three are completely cloud based and have the additional benefit of benchmarking between other school districts and organizations.