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Creating a gas measurement and monitoring plan for your industrial site

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Gas costs are hurting business and have been for some time. Making informed and smart decisions using good data can help reduce operating costs. The measurement and monitoring of energy flows such as gas, steam, hot water, hot air or electricity is needed, however it can be technically challenging and often expensive.

For these reasons, a well-thought-out measurement and monitoring plan is an essential part of any industrial site, and can be achieved using a 5-step process:

Step 1 – Specify the goal and understand what is already known.

Step 2 – Prioritise what to measure.

Step 3 – Investigate and select energy management software and long term data storage

solution.

Step 4 – Specify and select suitable meters and their communication system.

Step 5 – Develop a budget and implementation plan

Step 1 – Specify the goal and understand what is already known.

This is the essential part of a metering and monitoring upgrade as it determines the useful data and how it will be used. Other equally valid goals could be:

Once the objective is clear, spend time determining what data is available and what additional metering is necessary. In many cases some metering is already in place but unused.

Step 2 – Prioritise what to measure.

Keeping in mind the initial goal, determine the highest priority energy flows that need to be measured. Start by building a preliminary energy balance on either the site, a specific utility, a plant area or an individual piece of equipment. It isn’t necessarily the largest energy users that are the priority.

Step 3 – Investigate and select energy management software and long term data storage solution

Before jumping in to select meters, consider how to collect and store the data, as well as who needs the information. The purpose of metering is to provide data that is usable, and insights are acted upon. Data collection may use a pre-existing data management or SCADA system, or a new online portal.

The range of people needing to access the data might range from plant operators, plant managers, energy managers, or compliance personnel.

Step 4 – Specify and select suitable meters and their communication system.

There are hundreds of different meters available on the market, and all of them have different benefits and drawbacks. Consider things like precision, repeatability, flow range, method of installation and format of the data being reported.

Step 5 – Develop a budget and implementation plan.

The budget and implementation plan of the metering and monitoring project must consider:

Meter validation is often overlooked. To test if the meter is accurate, first compare its data with what is expected, or with other meters up or downstream. At Northmore Gordon we often find meters in the field that have been incorrectly reporting energy usage for years!

Make informed and smart decisions about energy usage.

Acting on the data is what really matters. Software tools exist that are designed to aggregate data from industrial data management systems and present it in a way that is easy to understand. If information is easy to understand, it is more likely to be trusted and acted upon.

Northmore Gordon is passionate about helping large industrial and commercial customers increase energy productivity. We can help you design a metering, monitoring and energy management solution for your specific needs.

For more specific details on gas metering and monitoring, you might want to check out the NSW OEH publication co-authored by Northmore Gordon: “Gas Measurement and Monitoring Guide” or contact me.

Alex Holdsworth

Consultant, Northmore Gordon

a.holdsworth@northmoregordon.com

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What is the 5-step process for creating a gas measurement and monitoring plan described by Northmore Gordon?

The five steps are: Step 1 – Specify the goal and understand what is already known; Step 2 – Prioritise what to measure; Step 3 – Investigate and select energy management software and long term data storage solution; Step 4 – Specify and select suitable meters and their communication system; Step 5 – Develop a budget and implementation plan.

Why is specifying the goal (Step 1) considered essential in a metering and monitoring upgrade?

According to the page, this step determines the useful data and how it will be used. Example goals include determining the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of a refrigeration system to support a replacement business case, understanding how much one area of the plant costs to run, or establishing plant energy performance KPIs and tracking them. Once the objective is clear, time should be spent determining what data is already available and what additional metering is necessary, since some metering is often already in place but unused.

How should a site prioritise what to measure under Step 2?

The page advises keeping the initial goal in mind and determining the highest priority energy flows that need to be measured, starting by building a preliminary energy balance on either the site, a specific utility, a plant area, or an individual piece of equipment. It notes that the priority isn't necessarily the largest energy users.

What should be considered before selecting meters, according to Step 3?

Before selecting meters, the page recommends considering how to collect and store the data and who needs the information, since the purpose of metering is to provide usable data that leads to acted-upon insights. Data collection may use a pre-existing data management or SCADA system or a new online portal, and users of the data can range from plant operators and plant managers to energy managers or compliance personnel.

What factors should be weighed when selecting meters and communication systems (Step 4)?

The page states there are hundreds of different meters on the market, each with different benefits and drawbacks, and suggests considering precision, repeatability, flow range, method of installation, and the format of the data being reported.

What elements must a metering project's budget and implementation plan (Step 5) address?

The budget and implementation plan must consider: the schedule of works to be completed; plant down time and commissioning requirements; communication and data storage installation; safety of the works carried out; new procedures or responsibilities to utilise the data; and meter validation and ongoing meter maintenance.

Why is meter validation important, and how is it performed according to the page?

Meter validation is often overlooked, but it is important because meters can incorrectly report energy usage for years without detection. To test accuracy, the page suggests comparing meter data with what is expected or with other meters located upstream or downstream. Northmore Gordon notes it often finds meters in the field that have been incorrectly reporting energy usage for years.

What resource does Northmore Gordon recommend for more detailed guidance on gas metering and monitoring?

The page recommends the NSW OEH publication co-authored by Northmore Gordon titled 'Gas Measurement and Monitoring Guide' for more specific details on gas metering and monitoring.

Who wrote this article on creating a gas measurement and monitoring plan, and what is their role?

The article is signed by Alex Holdsworth, a Consultant at Northmore Gordon, whose contact email is a.holdsworth@northmoregordon.com.

According to the supporting knowledge base, what data ownership and access questions should be settled before meters are commissioned?

Before installation, organisations should identify who owns the data and who can access it, how data will be exported and in what format, how equipment changes will be recorded as operations evolve, how time-zone and daylight-saving treatment will be handled, and whether readings represent interval energy, cumulative register values, or power measurements—since these cannot be combined without understanding their meaning. Original observations should also be preserved alongside any corrected analysis dataset.

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