What is Tru-Use™?
Tru-Use™ is a combination of load-profiling equipment and methodologies developed to bridge the informational gap faced by facilities that lack access to a building management system, or BMS. Billing data from local utilities is commonly used for project development and economic analysis, mainly because it is the only data available. Utility data is a good starting point, but it can only allow for estimation of key parameters within a facility. There is no way to account for details accurately with only this data, which why Tru-Use™ was developed. Tru-Use™ allows for continuous monitoring of facility loads and generation, which are often key to improving a building’s carbon footprint.
For more details, download our Tru-Use™ Data Sheet here.
Electrical Monitoring
Each Tru-Use™ unit is capable of measuring up to 4 circuits individually, but units can easily be “daisy-chained” together to measure as many circuits as desired. The installation requires no interruption of utility electrical power to install, whether the install is permanent or temporary.
Thermal Monitoring
Like electrical monitoring, thermal monitoring of liquid and/or gas flows can be done on a permanent or temporary basis. Ultrasonic flow meters provide thermal data for all Tru-Use™ systems, so no pipe cutting is required for monitoring.
Why implement Tru-Use™?
There is a reason why billing data is relied on for project development and economic performance analysis – it is the only data available for the majority of buildings. Unless a facility has a BMS/EMS, or is fitted by the utility for interval data collection, there is no means of getting load profile data.
Tru-Use™ accomplishes the following without a facility having to install a costly BMS:
Tru-Use™ Implementation Sites
Many of the sites where we have implemented Tru-Use™ go hand in hand with where we have also done cogeneration work or energy system consulting. As we said earlier, knowing what you use is key to figuring out how to reduce it, so Tru-Use™ is our go to for facilities that would require the use of utility billing for feasibility analysis.
CBAR is an acronym for Cost Benefit Analysis Reporting, which is a monthly service DSMEA provides to our clients. These reports provide a detailed performance analysis of cogeneration performance in a facility.