Uncertainty around energy prices, regulatory changes, and pressure to cut emissions have turned energy management into a top priority for any company with multiple locations or consumption-intensive processes. At its core, the challenge is twofold: cutting costs and reducing environmental impact—two goals that aren't always easy to reconcile without the right tools.

This is where EMS technology comes into play. Let's break down what it is, how it works, and what real results it can deliver.

What is an EMS

An EMS (Energy Management System) is a technology that monitors, analyzes, and optimizes energy consumption across one or more facilities. Its operation can be summed up in five stages: collecting data from various devices, AI-driven analysis to identify patterns and anomalies, building mathematical models that automatically adjust as new data comes in, forecasting consumption based on weather and seasonality, and finally, optimization with specific recommendations for cutting costs.

How Smarkia's EMS works

Our EMS predicts parameters such as indoor and outdoor temperature, electricity rates, the building's thermal inertia, and occupancy, and uses that data to build an optimal consumption plan for the hours ahead.

Part of this technology comes from a transfer from Repsol, Smarkia's strategic investor since 2022, which had already tested it in large-scale projects before it was integrated into the platform. Today we apply it to small and large retail, corporate buildings, industry, and even sports stadiums, with a particular focus on managing cold chains, HVAC, solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles.

Two examples of EMS in action

EMS at a service station

At a service station, there are many variables at play, and one of the most important is refrigeration for beverages and food. The EMS factors in opening hours, customer volume by time slot, and forecasted electricity prices, and uses that information to manage the load on cold storage units. For example, if electricity prices peak between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., the system can lower the cold storage temperature ahead of that window, consuming more energy when it's cheaper, and then rely on thermal inertia to maintain the optimal temperature during the price peak—without compromising product preservation.

Office comfort and user flexibility

If you've ever tried to change your office temperature from the thermostat and it didn't respond the way you expected, there's a good chance an EMS is managing that circuit. This is where a key concept comes in: user flexibility, meaning the margin given to the system to decide the temperature. The wider that margin—for example, letting the system operate between 20°C and 24°C instead of setting a single fixed value—the greater the EMS's ability to optimize consumption without compromising comfort.

What real results does an EMS deliver

In Smarkia's use cases, we've seen consumption reductions of up to 40% in cold chains and up to 20% in HVAC, without affecting user comfort. Beyond that direct savings, a well-implemented EMS reduces the time spent on management thanks to automation, provides greater control over productivity and processes through customizable reports, helps with regulatory compliance—for example, with ISO 50001—and directly reduces the carbon footprint as a result of lower consumption.

If you manage multiple locations or processes with significant energy weight, an EMS can be the difference between reacting to the bill and staying ahead of it.