FAQ

Yes. SW360 can identify where energy is likely being wasted through unnecessary run-time, non-optimized machine settings, etc. In addition, SW360 can display detailed manufacturing metrics and data showing where, when, and how you can make operational changes to reduce energy consumption relative to production output.

Depending on your utility, roughly one-third of your bill is for peak demand and another two-thirds for overall kWh usage. Obviously, meeting production requirements is more critical in the short run than energy savings and manufacturing efficiency metrics, but an effort to manage peak demand (aka capacity charges) can often yield both benefits.

If you know when you're setting peaks, you can shift part or all of the load to other times of day by moving loads from peak to off-peak periods. A very common problem with HVAC equipment in particular is when to end nightly “set-backs” in the early morning. If multiple chillers start up at 6:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, for example, this will almost certainly set a new peak. If you can instead stagger start-ups over an hour or so at about 15-minute intervals, you'll significantly reduce peak demand.

Yes, you can create an up-to-the-minute report at any time with a single click. Your instant power-use report from SW360 should match your utility power bill's consumption within a few percentage points. (There are various additional monthly charges from your utility that contribute to the difference.)

Yes, you can set an alert to warn you if any machine that you're monitoring runs during a particular time period. You can set other warnings and alerts as well to warn you of non-optimal machine operation and manufacturing performance metrics.

Yes. SW360 can alert you if one machine or multiple machines are operating outside their normal power-draw range(s). In addition to warnings due to erratic or abnormal power consumption, SW360 can provide warnings when multiple parameters — power, temperature, pressure, cooling, etc. — have moved out of range simultaneously.

SW360 provides detailed data that helps you move from calendar-based to predictive or condition-based maintenance. The optimum interval for maintenance procedures for any given machine depends on the kind of work the machine performs, the number of hours it runs and the load on the motor for each running hour. 6000 hours of operation at 90% of full load is very different from 30% of full load, resulting in a lot more stress and a higher likelihood of machine deterioration over time. Clients typically use our data to support, rather than replace, manufacturers' maintenance guidelines.

SW360's Maintenance Interval Guide provides data concerning machine running hours and loading. Variables such as run-time, average load, load above FLA, cycles per hour, and stops/starts are available for assessing equipment loading over time, and therefore making judgments about maintenance intervals.

Yes, there is no material limit to kinds of data that can be captured by SW360 or the types of sensors and meters that SW360 can connect to. Learn more…

SW360's software platform can receive, store, and analyze virtually any kind of data from almost any sensor or meter. As an “open system,” SW360 can import data from, and export data to, almost any software platform that a customer might be using. You can run the two systems simultaneously to provide granularity in different areas.

Yes, SW360 can monitor the metrics for manufacturing in one machine, a production line, an entire facility, or multiple facilities, depending on where you locate the sensors. You can set up groups of machines so that data is captured simultaneously from the main production equipment and all kinds of supporting equipment — e.g., cooling-water pumps, air dryers, hydraulics, etc.

Yes. With access to your production data, we can do it, or you can download your energy data and you can do it. Our customers commonly want to overlay energy-use data with output as part of their cost-of-production calculations per shift, day, week, or month.

SW360 has built-in standard reports for various sustainability needs and manufacturing KPIs, or we can easily build custom reports for you. If you need custom reports, you can create them yourself using our widget-based system or you can give us your requirements and we can build them rapidly to your specifications.

Yes, you can track the cost of operating any single machine or a group of them in detail, down to the minute. Because we can set up your utility bill charges in SW360 in detail, your machine operating costs will accurately encompass both total energy use in kWh and peak demand in kW.

Our standard reports can provide all the data for LL97 reporting, but you can also create a custom report to suit your specific needs. There are at least 30 “Local” laws across major U.S. cities, and operators can use SW360 for compliance with all of them.

There are very few standard reports in the ESG world, but we — or you — can build custom reports to meet your specific needs for monitoring production metrics. Alternatively, if you are using an ESG consultant to produce your reports, we can provide them with detailed data to enable them to write more accurate, granular reports.

SW360 can provide detailed comparative energy-cost data both before and after an energy efficiency project. Many state- or utility-based rebate programs require both before and after measurements to justify their incentive payments.

SW360 will measure and report on energy use at each setting. The system can overlay production data on this data. In addition, SW360 can allow for changes in other parameters, such as external temperatures and pressures.

Once you select which machines you would like SW360 to monitor, installing it takes about one day on 50 to 75 machines. We need a minimum amount of information about probable amperage ranges, wire sizes, and physical equipment locations, and then we will ship the correct monitoring equipment.

With SW360's amperage sensors on individual circuits and a voltage meter on the system, there's no need to install hard-wired sub-meters, which take longer and cost considerably more. Speed-to-data-capture is a key element of our system, along with overall cost and faster payback for SW360.