The energy monitoring system that makes consumption visible — with the path to control built in.
eco2lot captures electricity, gas, compressed air, steam, cooling, and water on one platform. Vendor-independent, free of per-sensor subscriptions, and built on the same data and architecture foundation you later expand into full energy management.
- Multi-utility monitoring — electricity, gas, compressed air, steam, cooling, water, and process gases in one data foundation
- Cost center, line, shift, batch — EnPIs normalized against production volume, weather, and order
- Sankey, correlation, SEU — energy flows, drivers, and significant consumers at a glance
From clipboard rounds to the energy cockpit.
Three stages we meet again and again in industrial plants — and the path you take with eco2lot in each of them.
The clipboard round.
Once a month, the plant supervisor walks the main meters. The numbers end up in an Excel list. Which line, which shift, which order caused how much remains an estimate. Efficiency measures are born from gut feeling.
First transparency.
eco2lot reads your meters digitally. Electricity, gas, compressed air, and steam appear on one shared energy dashboard. The load profile becomes visible, the first EnPIs are calculated. Anomalies can be checked the same day — instead of in next month's report.
The energy cockpit.
Sankey diagrams show where every kilowatt-hour goes. Consumption is charged to cost centers, compared by shift, and normalized against production volume and weather. Correlation analyses find the drivers that stay invisible in Excel. Audits run on live data — audit-ready at any time.
Four levers that pay off in any plant P&L.
Visibility is the means, and the payoff is the goal. These four levers are the main economic reasons industrial plants introduce energy monitoring — with magnitudes from eco2lot projects.
Charge consumption to cost centers.
Electricity, gas, and compressed air are often allocated to plants or departments as a flat rate — whoever consumes more pays the same today. eco2lot uses submetering to assign every kilowatt-hour to the line, department, or cost center that caused it. Cause-based billing becomes the standard, internally and between sites.
EnPIs per batch, line, shift — normalized.
Which line costs how much per ton of product? Which shift runs more energy-efficiently? eco2lot normalizes energy data against production volume, order, and weather — and delivers comparable KPIs instead of absolute kWh values only.
Make correlations visible.
Does compressed-air consumption rise with the weekday? Does heat demand correlate with outdoor temperature — or with product changeovers? eco2lot calculates these relationships automatically and shows how strongly each variable acts. Drivers become visible that stay hidden in Excel lists.
ISO 50001 audits at the push of a button.
Versioned reports, gapless readings, a documented SEU workflow (Significant Energy Use per ISO 50001). The auditor recognizes a solid energy balance in the very first meeting — manual Excel evaluation and rework disappear.
What is energy monitoring software?
Energy monitoring softwareSoftware that centrally captures, visualizes, and converts all energy-relevant consumption of an industrial plant into comparable KPIs. Diagnostic rather than controlling. captures and visualizes the consumption of every energy-relevant utility in an industrial plant — electricity, gas, compressed air, steam, cooling, water. It converts raw readings from meters, PLC variables, and process data into comparable KPIs such as kWh per unit produced or per shift.
This creates the data foundation for efficiency measures, reporting per ISO 50001International standard for energy management systems. Requirements for energy review, EnPI definition, SEU identification, and continual improvement. and for later automated control of equipment — the transition to full energy management happens on the same platform.
Energy monitoring versus energy management — the difference in one table
| Capability | Energy monitoring | Energy management (EMS) |
|---|---|---|
| Capture & store metering data | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visualize load profile, Sankey & EnPI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cost-center allocation & shift analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Normalization & correlation analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| SEU workflow & ISO 50001 audit reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Peak-load forecasting & active peak shaving | — belongs in the EMS | ✓ automated |
| Self-consumption (PV/CHP), base load, schedules | — belongs in the EMS | ✓ automated |
In short: monitoring shows, the EMS controls. With eco2lot you start with monitoring — the step to active energy management activates further modules on the same data foundation instead of requiring a new platform.
Introducing ISO 50001 — a checklist for the data foundation
ISO 50001:2018 requires systematic energy consumption capture as a mandatory foundation. This checklist shows which data requirements your energy monitoring software must meet — and which eco2lot delivers from day one.
- Define energy policy & scope — Which utilities (electricity, gas, compressed air, steam) and which sites / cost centers does the system cover?
- Set EnPIs (Energy Performance Indicators) — At least one normalized KPI, e.g. kWh per ton of product or kWh per heating degree day (VDI 3807).
- Identify SEUs (Significant Energy Use) — Automatically flag consumers with a > 10% share of total consumption and document them in the SEU register.
- Build a baseline — At least 12 months of historical energy data in full resolution (15-minute load profile) for the starting comparison.
- Validate the metering system — All metering devices calibrated or verified; metering points fully documented and auditable.
- Prove the measures program — Every efficiency measure documented with before/after data and a verified savings figure.
- Generate the audit report — Exportable reports for internal auditors and the certification body, with a data trail down to the metering point.
eco2lot covers all seven points — EnPI calculation, SEU workflow, automatic baseline management, and audit reports are core platform functions. → More in the FAQs
Nine features that separate an energy monitoring system from a pretty energy dashboard.
These features are the diagnostic backbone of eco2lot — from capturing through allocation to uncovering hidden drivers. Active control belongs in the energy management module, which builds on the same data foundation.
Multi-utility metering
Electricity, natural gas, compressed air, steam, cooling, district heating, water, and process gases (N₂, CO₂, O₂) in one data structure. One platform for all utilities — any unit of measurement freely definable, linkable with production data from MESManufacturing Execution System — production software that orchestrates orders, machines, and staff on the shop floor and delivers real-time data. and ERP.
Load profile in full resolution
The load profileTime series of energy consumption — 15-minute intervals as the standard. Basis for grid-fee billing and consumption analysis. is the time series of your energy consumption — 15-minute intervals as the standard, in eco2lot at the native resolution of your metering infrastructure. What the 15-minute average would hide stays visible: start-up peaks, changeovers, shift handovers.
Sankey diagram of energy flows
Sankey diagrams show energy flows between sources, utilities, plants, and consumers — ideal for energy value-stream analysis per the Fraunhofer method. You see at a glance where most of your kilowatt-hours end up — and where the biggest lever sits.
EnPI calculation per line, batch, or shift
EnPIsEnergy Performance Indicator — an energy KPI such as kWh per ton, per liter, or per batch. Mandatory element of ISO 50001. (Energy Performance Indicators) are the core KPIs of ISO 50001 — such as kWh per ton, per liter, or per batch. eco2lot calculates EnPIs automatically from linked energy and production data and compares them against the baselineReference line (e.g. the previous year's EnPI average). Efficiency gains are reported as deviation from the baseline..
Cost-center allocation & internal charging
eco2lot uses submetering to assign every kilowatt-hour to the line, department, or cost center that caused it. Flat-rate allocations become cause-based postings — internally and between sites. Export for SAP, DATEVCooperative of German tax advisors — the de-facto standard for accounting software in the German Mittelstand. DATEV export means: straight into financial accounting. or Excel per accounting period.
Shift analysis & shift benchmarks
Which shift runs more energy-efficiently? eco2lot compares early, late, and night shifts on an identical data basis — per line, per order, per changeover. Differences become a basis for discussion instead of blame.
Normalization — making consumption comparable
Absolute kWh say little: more production = more consumption. eco2lot normalizes against production volume, order, outdoor temperature (heating degree daysKPI per VDI 3807 (German engineering standard) for weather-adjusted consumption assessment. Sum of the differences between target room temperature and daily mean outdoor temperature. per VDI 3807), and equipment utilization. You compare shifts, plants, and years on the same basis — and efficiency improvements become provable.
Correlation & driver analysis
Which variables really drive consumption? eco2lot automatically calculates correlations between energy data and process variables (outdoor temperature, equipment utilization, changeovers, weekday, order mix) and shows the strength of each relationship as R² (coefficient of determination)Statistical measure between 0 and 1. R² close to 1 = strong relationship; R² close to 0 = none. A standard tool of data analysis.. Gut feeling gets replaced by numbers.
SEU workflow per ISO 50001
Significant Energy Uses (SEUSignificant Energy Use — consumers with a significant share of total consumption per ISO 50001. Mandatory element of every certification; the rating process must be documented.) are the heart of every ISO 50001 certification. eco2lot identifies this equipment automatically by consumption share, assigns owners, and documents the rating process audit-proof. A justified selection instead of an estimated one.
Existing meters stay — eco2lot integrates.
Every industrial plant already runs a mix of remote meter reading, PLCs, a control system, and an ERP. In practice, only an energy monitoring software that keeps these systems in place gets adopted. eco2lot is therefore designed as an open integration layer and speaks the protocols industrial setups already use.
Supported protocols
- OPC UA — the modern OT standard (Operational Technology) for PLC variables and control-system tags
- Modbus TCP/RTU — meters, inverters, variable frequency drives, older automation
- MQTT — IoT gateways, edge devices, cloud-to-cloud
- BACnet — building automation, HVAC, chiller plants
- M-Bus and wireless M-Bus — dedicated remote meter reading
- REST and SOAP APIs — ERP, MES, and portal integration (energy supplier, grid operator)
- File interfaces (CSV, XML) — historical data migration from legacy systems
Where a direct IP connection is missing — for example on older hardening furnaces or forging presses — an edge gateway from the eco2iot product line bridges the gap. Your existing metering infrastructure stays in service.
Three hosting models. You choose.
Data sovereignty, IT security, and compliance requirements weigh differently in every industry. eco2lot runs in the model that fits your IT governance.
Cloud
Fastest rollout, automatic updates, geo-redundant backups. A fit when certified EU hosting covers your data residency requirements.
On-premise
The complete platform on your servers. Full control over data storage and network access. Frequently chosen by groups with strict OT separation.
Hybrid
OT-critical data capture runs at the plant, analytics and reporting in the cloud. Ideal for multi-site groups with IT security policies per IEC 62443.
Three scenarios where monitoring carries first.
If you are weighing whether to start with monitoring — or to go straight to the full EMS — these three typical starting points help.
Make consumption per batch, line, and shift visible
A single main meter shows 12 GWh per year — which line consumes how much stays in the dark. Controlling and plant management debate estimates every year.
eco2lot ties existing submeters, PLC variables, and MES production data together and delivers consumption per batch, line, and shift — on your existing metering infrastructure.
Standardize utility monitoring across multiple sites
A group with 8 plants has 8 different metering and submetering structures. Group-wide energy reports are compiled manually in Excel and are vulnerable at every audit.
eco2lot consolidates heterogeneous meter landscapes into one platform, with a unified data model and automated reports per plant and group.
ISO 50001 certification audit-ready in 4 weeks
Manual Excel evaluations, gaps in data capture, unclear EnPI definitions — the auditor will spot this within 30 minutes of the first meeting.
eco2lot delivers gapless readings, automated EnPIs, and versioned audit reports — the SEU selection (Significant Energy Use) is documented traceably in the platform.
Which industries see returns from energy monitoring first.
eco2lot grew out of projects in manufacturing plants with continuous processes. The monitoring-typical levers — cost centers, shift analysis, normalization — work strongest wherever energy use is high and audit pressure is real.
- Core industryFood & beverageDairy, meat & poultry, confectionery, brewingISO 50001 + HACCP + multi-site consolidation
- Core industryMetal processing & automotive suppliersFoundries, hardening, forming, component manufacturingEnergy hotspots at presses, hardening furnaces, compressed air
- Strong fitPackaging & printCorrugated board, films, extruders, dryingSankey typically uncovers compressed-air leakage >30%
- Strong fitChemicals & pharmaCleanrooms, HVAC, refrigeration, CIP processesMulti-utility metering + CSRD reporting in one
- Good fitMunicipal utilities & real estatePublic utilities, wastewater plants, school and administrative buildingsCost-center allocation across many sites
- Good fitRetail chainsFood retail, drugstores, specialty store chainsShift and site benchmarking across 50+ stores
The typical monitoring profile.
Manufacturing SMEs and groups with 1–30 sites and an annual consumption from roughly 2 GWh of electricity — usually with one of the following requirements in-house:
- ISO 50001 certification is being prepared or re-certification is due
- Germany's Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) applies from 7.5 GWh — the data foundation has to be ready
- Group consolidation across several plants is required
- The internal debate on cause-based cost allocation needs objective numbers
- The economics of efficiency investments must be calculated reliably
In the 60-minute metering point check we tell you transparently where eco2lot carries first in your plant — and where other levers work first.
BAFA funding — a 30–40% grant on your monitoring pilot.
Energy monitoring software falls under Module 3 of Germany's federal funding program for energy and resource efficiency in industry (BAFA EEW). Software licenses, sensors, edge gateways, and implementation are eligible.
Module 3: measurement and control technology & energy management software
The federal funding program for energy and resource efficiency in industry (BAFA EEW) is Germany's most important funding instrument for industrial plants introducing or modernizing energy monitoring. BAFA is Germany's Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control.
- 30% funding rate for large companies
- 40% funding rate for SMEs
- Up to €15 million in grants per project
- Decision typically within 8–12 weeks
Your benefit: We supply the technical description, savings forecast, and cost allocation — the application effort on your side drops from days to a few hours.
We check Module 3 eligibility in 60 minutes and supply the technical description for your BAFA application. Funding rate 30–40%, application via easy-Online.
The same data foundation carries the four control strategies.
Once the monitoring basis stands — stable load profiles, defined EnPIs, integrated meters — you activate the four eco2lot control strategies on the same platform: peak shaving (capping load peaks), self-consumption optimization (PV/CHP), base-load reduction (nights & weekends), and schedule adherence (PPA, spot market). Monitoring becomes energy management — with zero platform change and zero new data integration.
To the energy management hubThree entry paths. Fixed price in the pilot.
After 6 weeks you see whether eco2lot works for you — at a manageable investment and free of multi-year commitments.
- As-is review of your meters and PLCs
- Assessment of data quality
- Proposal of the first visible levers
- Rough pilot scope with timeline
- Results log by email
- Connection of one line or one site
- Live dashboards in real time
- EnPI definition and first reports
- Handover workshop for your team
- Rollout quote with business case
- Rollout to further lines / sites
- Extension with control strategies
- SLA, support, further development
- Training via eco2know
- BAFA-eligible (30–40%)
A clear roadmap: 5 steps to the live cockpit.
From first inquiry to productive monitoring typically takes 6–10 weeks. Every step delivers a concrete output — you know what you get and when.
A personal callback from Andreas Babel or one of our experts. We clarify your pain point, check the fit, and propose the next meeting.
A 60-minute video call with your energy or plant lead. As-is review of your meters, PLCs, and processes. We identify the first visible levers.
You receive a fixed-price quote for the pilot — 4–6 weeks, €8–15k. Scope, timeline, data-point list, BAFA eligibility — every position in the open.
We connect your line or site, define EnPIs, set up Sankey, SEU, and cost-center allocation, and hand the live cockpit over to your team.
Training for your energy and shift leads via eco2know. Rollout to further lines or sites. Optional: activation of the energy management module.
You invest at most €8–15k for the pilot — and know after 6 weeks whether eco2lot works for you. Free of multi-year commitments, per-sensor subscriptions, and upfront license costs.
What industrial decision-makers ask before the monitoring pilot.
What is energy monitoring software?
Energy monitoring software captures and visualizes the consumption of every energy-relevant utility in an industrial plant. It converts raw readings from meters, PLC variables, and process data into comparable KPIs such as kWh per unit produced or per shift. This creates the data foundation for efficiency measures, ISO 50001 reporting, and later automated control of equipment.
How does energy monitoring differ from an energy management system (EMS)?
Energy monitoring makes energy consumption visible — an energy management system (EMS) additionally intervenes to control equipment. Monitoring answers "Where does the plant consume how much?". An EMS also answers "How do we control peak loads, self-consumption, and schedules automatically?". With eco2lot you start with monitoring and expand the same data foundation into a full EMS at any time.
Which utilities can eco2lot capture?
Electricity, natural gas, compressed air, steam, cooling, district heating, water, and process gases such as nitrogen or oxygen. The platform handles any unit of measurement and links energy data with production data from your MES or ERP. This lets you derive EnPI figures per line, batch, or shift directly from the raw data.
Do we have to replace our meters?
Your existing meters stay in place. eco2lot is vendor- and protocol-open and connects existing meters, PLCs, and control systems via OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT, BACnet, M-Bus, and further standards. Even older equipment without an IP interface integrates through an edge gateway — your existing metering infrastructure remains in service.
What does energy monitoring software cost?
Entry via a monitoring pilot typically costs €8,000–15,000 as a fixed price for 4–6 weeks. This includes connecting one line or one site, live dashboards, EnPI definitions, and a rollout quote. License costs in the rollout depend on the number of sites and data points and follow a volume-based sliding scale instead of a per-sensor subscription.
Is energy monitoring eligible for BAFA EEW funding (Module 3)?
Yes. Energy monitoring software falls under Germany's federal funding program for energy and resource efficiency in industry (BAFA EEW), Module 3 (measurement and control technology, sensors, and energy management software). The funding rate is 30% for large companies and 40% for SMEs on eligible costs — software licenses, sensors, edge gateways, and implementation. We supply the technical description and savings forecast for the application.
Where is our energy data hosted?
You choose between three hosting models: cloud in an ISO 27001-certified German data center, on-premise on your own infrastructure, or hybrid with the OT-critical data layer (Operational Technology) at the plant and analytics in the cloud. All three options meet GDPR requirements and are prepared for ISO 27001 audits.
Is eco2lot also a fit for smaller plants below 5 GWh annual consumption?
Yes, provided there is a clear use case — typically ISO 50001 preparation, multi-site consolidation, or a specific consumer with high cost relevance. For smaller plants we recommend a staged entry, starting with the main line and three to five submeters. In the metering point check we tell you transparently when the business case holds and when other levers work first.
How is energy consumption charged to cost centers?
eco2lot assigns every submeter or PLC data point to a cost center (line, department, plant, order). Where submetering is missing, shares can also be calculated — for example by production volume, runtime, or a defined split. Each accounting period produces an allocation export for SAP, DATEV (the German accounting standard), or Excel. Flat-rate allocations become charges based on actual consumption — the most common political debate between plants and departments turns objective.
What does normalization mean and why do we need it?
Absolute kWh figures are misleading: more production inevitably means more consumption — that says nothing about efficiency. Normalization divides consumption by reference variables such as production volume, order mix, outdoor temperature (heating degree days per VDI 3807, a German engineering standard), or equipment utilization. The result is comparable KPIs — such as kWh per ton of product or kWh per heating degree day. Efficiency improvements become provable instead of claimed.
How does the correlation and driver analysis work?
eco2lot automatically calculates which variables influence energy consumption and how strongly — outdoor temperature, equipment utilization, product changeovers, weekday, shift, order size. The result is the coefficient of determination (R²) per variable. R² close to 1 means a strong relationship, close to 0 none. You see which levers really drive consumption — and which merely correlate without causal effect. Gut feeling gets replaced by numbers.
How are SEUs (Significant Energy Uses) per ISO 50001 identified automatically?
eco2lot continuously rates all captured consumers by share of total consumption, improvement potential, and controllability. Equipment above a configurable threshold — typically a 10% share — is automatically flagged as an SEU, assigned to an owner, and documented in a versioned SEU register. The rating process is traceable for the ISO 50001 auditor — the manual Excel list becomes obsolete.
What belongs in energy monitoring and what in energy management?
Energy monitoring is diagnostic: capture, visualize, analyze, report. It answers "Where, when, and for what does the plant consume how much?". Energy management (EMS) is active: regulate, control, intervene. It answers "How do we cap peak loads, optimize self-consumption, keep schedules?". Both use the same platform and data foundation in eco2lot — you typically start with monitoring and switch on EMS later, with zero data migration.
See what you can measure — in 60 minutes.
A free metering point check with one of our experts. As-is review of your meters and PLCs, assessment of data quality, proposal of the first visible levers. Results log by email.