ERM Power customers to get real-time energy usage dashboard

Australia's second largest commercial electricity retailer ERM Power has acquired data analytics and energy software company Greensense to deliver its customers a real-time view of their consumpion.

Greensense View

The ASX-listed energy company today said the acquistion was not significant in terms of cost, but would deliver ERM Power the "smarts and software" to build value-added services for its customers.

Its current strategic plan involves investing in technologies that will allow it to go beyond pure energy supply towards also providing "smart" visualisation of energy consumption.

The strategy will be delivered under CEO John Stretch, who has previously served as the head of AAPT, as well as in executive positions for AT&T and IBM.

ERM Power provides energy to one in five governments, businesses and industrial companies in Australia. 

Greensense's flagship product is Greensense View, a dashboard that allows a building to track and monitor its energy and waste use in real-time.

The software allows customers to spot anomalies - such as water leaks or high night-time loads - straight away, as well as benchmark across their property portfolio to identify the highest and lowest energy consumers.

Building managers can also access a historical record of raw and calculated data for environmental reporting, such as for NABERS ratings.

The company counts Rio Tinto's iron ore business, the Australian National University, UNSW, and Savills Australia among its customers.

Greensense will form the foundation of ERM Power's customer solutions portfolio, which it expects to contribute 8 percent of earnings by 2018.

The software company was formed in 2008 and services clients across the country through its offices in Perth and Melbourne.