Investor's kit

The purpose of the system is to collect and exhibit simply and quickly  information on the use of energy in one or more consumer units. In this way, it is possible to identify opportunities for reducing consumption, identifying faults or undesirable situations, manage and adjust contracts, make forecasts, compare unit performances and track the results of energy efficiency initiatives, among others.

A device (gateway) collects data from one or more meters installed at the unit and transmits to the cloud, generally using an already built in cellular modem. The user accesses the information through the Internet, using a computer, tablet or cell phone.

Companies from  all economic sectors use the Follow Energy. Retail stores, supermarkets, banks, hotels, hospitals, commercial condominiums, logistical warehouses, movie theater and restaurant chains, pharmaceutical and food industries, metallurgical and transformation industries are among the principal users of the system.

Any company can use the Follow Energy. In general, when the energy bill is over R$ 8,000.00 per month, the chances are greater that the system can be employed as the results then become more significant. We currently have clients with electricity bills (per consumer unit) of R$ 1,500.00 to R$ 10,000,000.00 monthly.

Our clients have obtained average savings on their energy bills of between 5 and 12% when using the system as a management tool, and from 8% to 25% when automatic control resources are implemented.

Yes, the system can control energy demand, programm schedules, manage consumption and control capacitator banks. The system can also be used to control temperatures in air conditioning systems.

The system is connected directly to the user’s distributor meter output. The output is available in practically all group A consumers (medium or high voltage).

The request should be made by the client by e-mail to the distributor. This is a simple procedure and is regulated by ANEEL.

For units served by the distributor in low voltage or also those which are part of a prorating process in the case of a condominium or shopping center, an electrical magnitudes meter should be installed for transmitting energy data to the gateway.

The system is able to monitor the consumption of water, gas, oil, steam and supervise variables such as temperature, level, relative humidity, concentration of CO2, among various others.

There are no limits on the number of users accessing the system. We can parameterize the system according to the number of logins that your company will need.

Since the system is modular and scalable, there is no limit on the number of points which can be managed. The system can attend the client monitoring hundreds of points in a single installation to one that monitors thousands of units nationwide.

The monthly fee is calculated according to the number of gateways that will be used and also in accordance with the number of measurement and control points managed at each location.

The monthly fee covers the use of Follow Energy, the sending of automatic reports, e-mail alerts, technological innovations to the platform, updates on energy tariffs and tariff flags, data storage, and a package of text message alerts (SMS). On-site assistance is also available for most of the agreements.

Technical support and service is provided throughout Brazil. In addition to the structure itself, we offer a comprehensive network of technical bases in the main regions of the country.

Yes, our installation team is structured to implement projects throughout the country. We execute anything from  the simplest installations to complex projects with implementation of all infrastructure.

The system has been installed at more than 5,200 sites and manages 40,000 measurement and control points. Today, 40% of the users of energy management systems in Brazil use Follow Energy.

Energy Efficiency is the ratio  between the quantity of energy (or power) employed in a system and the quantity of energy (or power) that the system can supply to this end. For example, a car engine receives chemical energy (in the form of fuel) and provides mechanical energy (in the form of torque and rotation of the wheels), and the energy efficiency of this engine would be the ratio between the mechanical energy supplied and the chemical energy received. Worthy of note is that  efficiency is never as much as 100 %, that is, the energy received is never totally converted into the energy supplied by it. This goes for all energy systems, whether engines, turbines, ventilators, pumps, lamps, etc.

Solutions to increase the efficiency of equipment range from repairs, operational and/or pre maintenance activities, change of components and even the change of the system as a whole. For the best solution, certain options are studied and current costs  (energy, operation and maintenance (O&M) and others) compared with future costs as part of a technical and financial feasibility analysis. ENGIE offers energy efficiency solutions for client utilities: air conditioning, compressed air, steam generation system (boilers), lighting, energy generation, co-generation, industrial refrigeration, water, motors and pump systems. Following  an initial analysis, an energy efficiency pre-offer is presented including the viability analysis for one or more of the systems described.

The acronym ESCO in English, means Energy Save Company. The same acronym is used in Brazil with a similar meaning Energy Conservation Services Company. ESCOs are engineering companies specialized in energy efficiency, the professionals of which undertake feasibility analysis of actions which can be taken so that certain systems become more efficient. An ESCO works with multidisciplinary engineers, that study different possibilities, analyzing their costs with market equipment as well as specialized labor for each solution analyzed - installers, designers and others -, so proposing the best possible and most viable solutions for their clients.

Generally, energy efficiency projects are executed based on a study of the current conditions of the systems (client utilities) the focus of operations, by consolidating the existing scenario in which these systems operate. In this way, some technically viable solutions can be established for increasing the efficiency of the systems and the consequent costs and benefits expected for each solution. Following the analysis, the solutions are ranked according to a criterion chosen in conjunction with the client.

A performance agreement is one where the client pays for the financial injection made by an ESCO in the role of investor – in costs of projects, equipment, installation, measurements, etc. – with savings accruing from the energy efficiency project. Thus, the investor is remunerated for its work and the client receives the benefits without realizing any additional investments other than the monthly costs already allocated for payment of energy and/or fuel invoices.

We cannot say what the percentage of savings of a project is going to be beforehand.  Depending on the selected system involved, percentages may vary considerably. For example in steam generation systems (boilers), a reduction of 10 % in energy consumption can be significant, while in the case of lighting, a 30 % reduction may be quite small. Thus, careful analysis is required to arrive at this percentage and always based on a conservative outlook.

Benefits can be classified as direct and indirect. The direct benefits come from the reduction in energy or fuel consumption with the consequent  reduction in the monthly cost of these inputs. Conversely , the indirect benefits are various as for example the postponement or reallocation of investments, the reduction in emissions of pollutants, the increase in competitiveness through the reduction in costs of the product, the improvement in reliability and uptime of the systems included in the project, the modernization of the equipment complex, among others.