Does ROI Mean "Reward of Ignorance" When Used to Deny the Purchase of Energy Information Systems?
Sept. 2, 2014
Watson: If a company thinks they can manage their energy costs without actual data, I wonder if their corporate slogan is, “Better Management through Ignorance” or “Our Management Decisions are the Same With or Without Facts”?
Watson: If a company thinks they can manage their energy costs without actual data, I wonder if their corporate slogan is, “Better Management through Ignorance” or “Our Management Decisions are the Same With or Without Facts”?
Watson: I got an email last week from an Energy Professional who has been promoting the value of energy information systems, using actual monitored data to operate buildings efficiently. He said that in nearly every case the first question he is asked is “What’s the ROI?” He wants to know how he should respond.
Holmes: The real problem is when organizations require an ROI to purchase an information system, they’re asking the wrong question. The real question people should be asking is not how much can they save from instrumentation, but where is every dollar going that they are currently spending every month on utilities?Just the same as they demand for every dollar spent for purchases other than utilities.
