Energy Monitoring

Electricity consumption is one of the largest operational costs in industrial plants, and also one of the hardest to control without the right tools. Rela AI's Energy Monitoring module captures consumption data from each piece of equipment, establishes baselines by asset type, and automatically detects when a machine is consuming more than expected — before that shows up on your bill.

Unlike simply seeing the monthly energy total, this module lets you know exactly which equipment is consuming above normal, when the anomaly started, and how much it's costing in real time. That granularity transforms energy monitoring into an active cost management tool.

The system learns the normal energy behavior of each asset over time and generates alerts when it detects significant deviations. This allows identifying issues like degraded motors, refrigeration systems with leaks, or equipment that doesn't shut down correctly during inactive shifts.

What is it for?

• Detect equipment with abnormal consumption before it causes shutdowns or major damage
• Establish energy benchmarks by equipment type to compare fleet performance
• Receive automatic alerts when an asset exceeds its consumption baseline
• Calculate the monetary cost of energy inefficiencies in real time
• Reduce operational costs by identifying and correcting energy waste
• Generate consumption reports for regulatory compliance and energy audits

How does it work?

The module collects energy consumption data from sensors connected to each asset — whether through direct integration with smart meters, OPC UA, or MQTT. With that data, it builds a consumption profile for each piece of equipment considering variables like shift, workload, and environmental conditions.

Baseline calculation: The system analyzes the consumption history of each asset under normal operating conditions to determine the expected consumption range. The baseline updates automatically as the system accumulates more data, adapting to production changes or seasonality.

Anomaly detection: An algorithm compares current consumption against the baseline. When consumption exceeds the configured threshold (by default, a statistically significant deviation), the system generates an automatic alert. Anomalies are classified by severity: mild (5-15% above baseline), moderate (15-30%), or critical (more than 30%).

Benchmarks by equipment type: The system groups assets of the same type (for example, all 50 HP compressors or all centrifugal pumps) and calculates the group's average consumption. This allows identifying which units consume more than their peers, which frequently indicates wear or maintenance need.

Using the Dashboard

To access the energy module, navigate to Assets > Energy Monitoring in the side menu.

Energy dashboard: The main view shows total plant consumption in real time, the estimated cost for the current period, and a list of assets sorted by consumption. Assets with active anomalies appear highlighted with the corresponding severity level.

Asset view: When selecting a specific asset, you'll see the historical consumption curve, the calculated baseline, and the detected anomalies marked on the timeline. From here you can adjust the alert threshold for that specific asset.

Benchmarks: The benchmarks section shows comparative tables by equipment type. You can filter by area, shift, or time period to identify inefficiency patterns.

Energy alerts: Alerts appear in the dashboard notification panel and can be configured to also be sent via WhatsApp or email to the responsible maintenance coordinator.