Monitoring energy consumption in a condominium

Monitoring energy consumption means systematically measuring how much electricity and heat the condominium's common parts use, in order to spot waste and saving opportunities. You cannot reduce what you do not measure: before resolving on costly works it is best to know where the energy really goes. Monitoring covers the lighting of common parts, the lift, the water booster pump, the thermal plant and, where present, the photovoltaic system. It is an ordinary management activity that, well set up, guides every efficiency choice.

Which consumption to keep under control

In a condominium common energy consumption concentrates in a few items, which are worth isolating and observing over time:

• The electricity of the common parts: lighting of stairs and courtyards, lift, pumps, automatic gates, video door entry systems.
• The fuel of the thermal plant for heating and, where present, centralised domestic hot water.
• The water and energy of the booster pump and the lifting systems.
• The production and self-consumption of any common photovoltaic system.

Comparing this consumption month by month and year by year brings out anomalies, such as a sudden rise signalling a fault or a leak, and lets you measure the effect of the works carried out.

Heat metering

For central heating, heat metering is the tool that measures each unit's actual consumption. Legislative Decree 102/2014, which transposed the European energy efficiency directive, introduced the obligation, where technically possible and cost-effective, to install thermoregulation and metering systems, with the split of costs under the technical standard UNI 10200. This lets you distinguish each owner's voluntary consumption from the involuntary one and make owners accountable.

From data to decisions

Monitoring makes sense only if the data collected become decisions. A time series of consumption lets the meeting assess with numbers, not impressions, whether it is worth replacing light fittings with low-consumption units, whether the thermal plant works efficiently, whether a photovoltaic system repays the investment. Objective data make resolutions more solid and reduce disputes, because they show everyone where money is spent and where it can be saved.

The link with the energy audit

Continuous monitoring and the energy audit complete each other. The audit is an in-depth photograph at a given moment, monitoring is the film showing the trend over time. The data collected month after month feed the audit with real information and, after the works, verify their effectiveness: if consumption does not fall as expected, something did not work and must be investigated.

Transparency towards owners

Sharing consumption data with owners builds trust and encourages more virtuous behaviour. A clear report showing the trend of common consumption, the effect of the works and the comparison with previous years turns abstract numbers into useful information. Transparency is also a safeguard against the suspicion of waste or careless management.

Management software such as AmministraPro lets you record the consumption of the common parts, compare it over time, split heating costs under UNI 10200 and present owners with clear, understandable energy reports. The features are described on the /funzioni page and the plans with their costs on the /prezzi page.