Application of MCDM Method for Technologies Selection to Support Energy Management

Abstract

In recent years, energy management has become a necessary approach in organizations, since the existence of economic factors such as high energy costs, increased concern about emissions and scarce resources, and the emergence of government pressure for organizations to move toward more efficient and environmentally aware operations. In this way, it is necessary to build robust systems for managing resources and processes, ensuring the success of energy efficiency actions. The robustness of these systems has high dependence on the control and monitoring stages, which need to guarantee the provision of appropriate and reliable information, aiding in the decisions made by the managers of the organizations. Information and communication technologies, as well as their evolutions - Internet of things, are essential elements for the acquisition, treatment and management of the information related to the energy consumption of the organizations. Thus, they play an important role in the control and monitoring stages, once the correct choice of technologies directly impacts on the efficiency of the energy management system, showing that it is a step that demands manager’s attention. Based on this scenario, this work proposes, through the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method, a decision support process, helping in the choice of technologies that contribute to an efficient energy management system adapted to the needs of the organization. Thus, with the result of the work, the authors seek not only to clarify what criteria to consider, but also to propose a process of decision support concerning adequate technologies in energy management.