JPS (the Jamaica Utility company) has increased the availability of a powerful energy management tool for businesses that have to make critical and sustainable decisions for efficient use of energy during this catastrophic COVID-19 season. This tool, which uses Smart Meter data, is already being actively used by approximately 60 commercial customers who possess single or multiple accounts, and who are realising tremendous benefits to their cost management programmes. Many of these current users consistently report the ease with which this facility enables the identification of major areas of potential energy savings, projection of monthly kilowatt hour consumption and validation of monthly electricity bills. 

The eSmart Web Portal offers a range of features, including almost real-time tracking of electricity consumption in time slices as small as 15-minute intervals as well as comparisons of day-to-day and month-to-month peak demand and consumption. 

The service is accessible via computers and tablets, with a version for cell phones coming soon. 

Director of Business Development, Dionne Nugent, pointed out that, “At this time COVID-19 is proving to be one of the greatest challenges to the business community, so the quality of the energyrelated decision-making during the current and post- COVID era, will be a critical factor in determining how sustainable businesses are going forward. The JPS eSmart Web Portal delivers high value as it puts the power in the customers’ hands – giving commercial operators insight into how much electricity is being consumed by their businesses throughout each day and night.” She further added, “It is clear that business customers need this kind of information at their fingertips to make decisions today that will prevent avoidable higher energy costs at the end of each month.” 

Customers who wish to learn more about this service should visit the JPS website for more information. This service complements other JPS offerings and services for energy management, such as the eStore products, business energy audits and establishment of generation facilities for businesses.