ADMMicro Submetering: Being "Green" is Easier, More Affordable than Ever.

Easy-to-install Systems Installed by Target to Keep a Close Eye on Energy Use

ROANOKE, Va. -- When it comes to energy costs, a dollar saved is a dollar earned. That's why more and more retail businesses and distribution centers are turning to ADMMicro's submetering products to increase their energy efficiency.

"Submetering is an affordable, easy-to-install method of tracking daily energy use in areas such as lighting, HVAC systems, refrigeration and any intermittent load that can cause a spike in demand and energy consumption," says John Richmond, ADMMicro vice president of sales and marketing. "A submetering package works with your existing energy management system to track where energy is being used--a key element in planning for and controlling energy costs."

ADMMicro has installed thousands of systems in chain store locations and business continues to grow, says Richmond. Customers see compelling return on investment in a variety of ways, including:

* Reducing load during peak times of the day to qualify for your utility company's best rates. Utility company rebates to customers who can quickly reduce their energy demands are becoming increasingly common.

* Identifying outages or service needs for refrigeration or HVAC units that aren't working at peak efficiency. A single roof-top unit or poorly sealed freezer can send energy dollars out the door, literally.

* Gathering detailed data on energy use throughout the store, to find ways to reduce consumption without sacrificing customer comfort or safety. Richmond gives an example of a packaging compactor that caused a spike each time it was activated. "Just by asking employees to delay using the compactor helped the company save money by shaving its 'peak' use and qualifying for an overall lower utility rate," he says.

Recommissioning, or periodically evaluating energy performance and returning component systems to specification standards, has become a popular move among the nation's largest retailers, where shaving pennies off energy costs can save tens of thousands on the bottom line. Adding submetering capabilities as a part of recommissioning makes sound fiscal sense, since stores can track performance from an established baseline and assure that optimum system parameters are maintained going forward.

"Target is confident that submetering will provide tangible benefits; we have installed this technology in more than 200 stores this year," says Curt Puncochar, Target's construction advisor on commissioning. "Knowing energy and other performance data in real-time at the component level--HVAC, refrigeration, and lighting systems--helps sustain our savings when retro commissioning our stores."

Richmond says energy and facility managers for large retailers like Target have an increasingly critical role to play in a company's bottom line, so 24/7 access to their data is important. ADMMicro's web tools allow corporate managers to see real-time reports of energy consumption on their laptops or PDAs, by store or by system. "Different managers need to receive data in different ways," he says. "We can accommodate a wide variety of reporting requirements."

ADMMicro submetering systems use little wall space, since all electronics are on a single board. They use the same primary controllers as the company's energy management products but are loaded with less complex firmware, resulting in lower cost. If the customer later chooses to update to a full EMS system, submetering boards can easily be loaded with new firmware and a few add-on devices.

"Many of our customers already have some type of energy management system," says Richmond. "Our submetering option allows managers to track how well it's working at a reasonable cost."

Submetering will become even more important as companies begin to prepare to meet more sophisticated demand response requirements in the future, says Richmond.

"We know the days of cheap electricity and gas are gone," he says. "Demand has grown faster than supply and it appears that isn't changing anytime soon. The more a company actively monitors energy use, the better they will be able to capitalize on utility buy-back programs and rebates. Having real-time and historical data on usage and being able to react quickly will become increasingly important in the energy grid of the future."

About ADMMicro

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., ADMMicro offers a new breed of intelligent energy management systems equipped with revenue-grade accurate metering devices to monitor electricity, natural gas, propane, or water consumption. The patent pending system can enhance security systems and manage retail maintenance service calls. The Energy Management System delivers rapid ROI for buildings of 1,500 square feet and up. ADMMicro is an Energy Star partner. (www.admmicro.com)