FRESH MEADOWS, N.Y. - U.S. Energy Group has launched its new USE Controller EMS, a next-generation energy management system that the company says is designed to provide a savings of 10-35 percent on oil and gas usage and payback in less than two years. Fully integrated with its USE Manager online building management system, the new EMS is digital, wireless, and helps owners and managers meet New York City’s new building auditing mandates through benchmarking, enhanced online monitoring, and control, said the company.

The new USE Controller EMS integrates both outdoor and indoor temperatures with a proprietary mathematical function to help the boiler run more efficiently and to cycle the boiler off and on when specific temperature presets are achieved. Jerry Pindus, U.S. Energy Group chief executive officer, said, “We have entered an entirely new generation of sleek, efficient, digital, wireless building control. The government is mandating we audit usage, and this is something anybody can and must do for peace of mind.”

In December 2009, the New York City Council adopted the “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan,” strengthening energy efficiency requirements and obligating owners and managers of larger buildings to undergo energy audits and publicly report their energy usage. While California and Washington, D.C., have already taken steps to require benchmarking and auditing, New York City’s initiative covers more building types and requires compliance within a much shorter period of time. The requirements have made old timing systems virtually obsolete, said U.S. Energy Group, because they are not designed for benchmarking, Internet monitoring, and enhanced control.

“It’s not about just running the boiler at the right time anymore,” stated David Unger, chief operating officer of U.S. Energy Group. “It’s about transforming the way we think about energy usage and pushing our buildings into the next generation. It’s about setting efficiency goals and then logging in from your computer, your laptop, your iPhone, or BlackBerry and tweaking the system for maximum savings. It’s about auditing usage, saving money, and helping the environment.”

The company said its system, including the new EMS and the USE Manager, is particularly attractive for large residential and commercial building portfolios because of how easily the system aggregates information and facilitates daily management of large portfolios. Specialized “alerting” functions draw attention to the most timely items and enable long-range planning and benchmarking. The system also supports efforts to better heat balance buildings.

For more information, visit www.use-group.com.

Publication date: 07/05/2010