With a property portfolio of 1,950,000 m2 spread over 488 commercial properties in northern Sweden, NP3 Fastigheter’s energy consumption is its biggest climate influencing factor and the real estate company’s most important environmental issue. NP3 makes use of a range of energy-saving operating and maintenance measures in the industrial, commercial and office properties it manages. In Örnsköldsvik in the northern Swedish region of Hägglund, the company recently invested in energy metering from ABB Electrification’s Smart Buildings Division in the form of the ABB EQmatic Energy Analyzer.
"It is extremely important to keep track of the energy consumption in a property, both to be able to charge the tenants correctly as well as to check what the building’s energy is used for. During the ten years we have managed the Hägglund area, we have worked hard on energy efficiency improvements. After ABB demonstrated their system - and showed good follow-up of the data, the simplicity and the possibility of the very user-friendly interface - we initially tested it in one of our switchgears, which worked well", said Lars-Göran Nilsson, business manager at NP3.
Easy to install and user-friendly
Since the long-established manufacturing company, Hägglunds moved from a much smaller 60,000 m2 industrial site in the same region, NP3 has developed the new site into a state-of-the art commercial and industrial zone. Today, it accommodates 45 different tenants, with everything from offices, shops, and workshops to industrial manufacturers, sports and recreation outlets and restaurants. With a diverse client base that has a different range of energy needs and requirements, NP3 has started installing ABB's energy meters across the site. To gain better control over energy and consumption and monitor, visualize and analyze the data from the meters, NP3 are using the ABB EQmatic Energy Analyzer tool, a collection system with a user-friendly web-based interface.
“The ABB EQmatic Energy Analyzer enables follow-up over time and allows visibility over where the energy is spent and where some adjustments can be implemented to reduce energy consumption. I see several advantages with EQmatic in particular: the system is easy to install, it is user-friendly and easy to expand,” said Patrik Andersson, Business Unit Manager at Eitech, who is responsible for electrical installations at NP3.
ABB's Energy Meters for MID-certified billing, sub-metering and energy consumption monitoring 
Magnus Lundberg, technical manager for the Hägglund area at NP3 
Patrik Andersson, Business Unit Manager at Eitech in Örnsköldsvik 
Lars-Göran Nilsson, business manager at NP3 
Johan Andersson, marketing and sales engineer at ABB Sweden's Electrification Business Area
Energy saving and correct billing
With the expanded metering system in place, NP3 is able to follow-up on energy saving measures and correct billing according to users’ consumption. Analytical data is drawn from a range of sources, including the energy supplier's meters, the own old meters and new ABB meters.
“It is fantastic that we can feed existing meters into ABB's system and install new ones where there are none. The installation is cost-effective and the potential to easily expand the system is really valuable. We have already seen the benefits of the system's flexibility, for example when an existing business changes or a new tenant moves in,” said Magnus Lundberg, technical manager for the Hägglund area at NP3.
Further system expansions
During the ten years that NP3 has managed the Hägglund area, the total energy consumption has been reduced by 48 percent, including electricity, district heating and district cooling. The installation of energy meters and ABB’s EQmatic Energy Analyzer is another important step in NP3's sustainability work. With full control and detailed information on energy consumption, it becomes possible to identify new savings opportunities.
From right to left: Lars-Göran Nilsson, business manager at NP3, Johan Andersson, marketing and sales engineer at ABB, Magnus Lundberg, technical manager for the Hägglunds area at NP3 and Patrik Andersson, Business Unit Manager at Eitech in Örnsköldsvik 
NP3 Fastigheter has installed EQmatic Energy Analyzer in their switchgear with excellent results
Cost-effectiveness and flexibility are just some of the system’s strengths according to NP3, with the ABB EQmatic Energy Analyzer’s automatic generation of reports with measured values offering further advantage. At the moment, around 70 new measuring data points are being added to the NP3 system that uses EQmatic. Before the system is fully installed, Eitech and NP3 estimate that they will land on upwards of 15 EQmatic measurement collection units with 200 measurement points.
"Now I can avoid the patience-testing process of going into all individual meters every quarter to fill up the measured values. In addition to electrical energy, soon we will also need to measure compressed air, comfort cooling, process cooling and solar energy production, we will need to connect electric car chargers and engine heaters, and all tenants should have their own measurement groups. The Hägglund area is complex, but the goal of comprehensive measurement beyond energy consumption is not very far away”, concluded Magnus Lundberg.
