Alberta’s deregulated electricity market has attracted the attention of a company specializing in energy management and monitoring systems for industry.
Energy and Environmental Management Systems, or E2MS Inc., of Whitby, Ont., announced its intention to set up in the province and has appointed former Alberta minister of economic development Jon Havelock to its board.
President and CEO Norman Wright said the company, which counts Dofasco, Ford Motor Company and Quaker Oats among its clients, realizes the need for companies to take active control of their energy usage.
The opening of the electricity market in Alberta has significantly changed the way businesses need to manage their energy use, he said. In addition, the rising and volatile energy prices have created a pressing need for affordable and easy to use systems to help companies control their electricity, gas, water or steam costs.
“Our proprietary ECAM (Energy Control Analysis & Management) system gives companies a minute-by-minute view of where they are using energy and how much is being used at what cost,” said Wright. “They gain very clear insight into the impact their operating decisions have on their total energy expenses.”
The ECAM system can be configured to automatically scale back on energy use at peak demand periods during the day, when energy prices are their highest, and to control energy use to ensure production goals are achieved at the lowest possible cost.
Wright also announced the signing of an agreement to provide its first Alberta customer, Calgary-based Foothills Steel Foundry Ltd., with an ECAM real-time system. Foothills president Harry Irving says the company’s monthly electricity bill has more than doubled in the past four months.
