Water Budgeting
Water Budgeting allows monitoring water consumption in a building or a workplace and set budgets. This involves determining the amount of water expected to be used over a specific period, and then tracking actual water consumption against this budget. Water budgeting helps organizations monitor and control their water usage, identify areas where water conservation measures can be implemented, and ultimately reduce water waste and costs.
Water Budgeting Add-on
Lucy's Water Budgeting add-on simplifies the monitoring of your water consumption, letting you to create customised, out-of-the-box canvases/dashboards.
Water Categories
Water Categories represent different types of water sources or consumption in a building. For example, domestic use, landscaping, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. There can be different meters that track different circuits to measure these types.
However, in environments where such detailed metering is not available, overall water consumption can be captured using a single category.
This article details how you can use Lucy's Water Budgeting Add-on to track your water consumption and compare it against your budget.
This process involves three main steps:
1. Installing the Water Budgeting Add-on
Installing the Water Budgeting add-on is the first step to monitor water consumption. To install the Water Budgeting Add-on:
On the Lucy app homepage, click the Add-ons tab.
Click Install a new Add-on.
Pick the Water Budgeting add-on from the list of add-ons.
Click Install. The add-on will be installed and will appear on the Add-ons page.
2. Configuring the Water Budgeting Add-on
Upon successful add-on installation, you will be directed to the configuration page. This step involves configuring water categories, setting budgets and connecting your meters.
To configure the Water Budgeting add-on:
On the app homepage, click the Add-ons tab.
Click on the Water Budgeting add-on. Configuration wizard will open.
Add a new Water Category.
Click Setup Budgets and Categories tab.
Click the + button.
Category Name: Give a name for the category, e.g., HVAC.
Click Save. A new category will be created and listed under Setup Budgets and Categories tab.
Create multiple categories if you have meters to track different types of water consumption.
Set budgets for every category.
Under Setup Budgets and Categories tab, click on a category.
Type in the budget values for each month of the year.
Click Save.
Connect meters. There are three ways to feed actual water consumption data to the system.
Get Smart Meters: Connect smart meters to automatically send water consumption data in.
Buy on Spacewox: Buy smart meters from Spaceworx marketplace.
Manually Upload Water data: Upload water consumption data manually.
Go to Connect Meters tab.
We will pick Manually Upload Water Data option.
Select the Date for the month you want to add data.
Type in the actual consumption for each category you have created.
Click Save.
Repeat steps 7 to 10 to add more data.
3. Creating a Canvas
The last step is to create a canvas with required water related widgets to track water consumption.
To create a canvas:
On the Lucy app homepage, go to the Gallery tab.
Click the + button to start creating a new Canvas.
Click Next.
Customise the background of the canvas if needed.
To select a colour theme for your Canvas from the pre-selected colour themes, click on the required box. Selected colour theme will be shown under the Header Colour section.
If you need to select a custom colour theme, click on the colour code in the Header Colour section to open the colour picker to select a colour of your own.
Under Background Image, click the Search icon to select a background wallpaper for your Canvas.
To select an image from the available collection, first, type the required keyword in the Search Images box to search for the image and then select it.
To select your own image as the background of the Canvas, click Upload your image and upload your own image.
Enable the Blur the background option to blur the applied background of your Canvas if necessary.
Provide a suitable unique Name for the canvas, e.g., Water Consumption.
Grant Access to the Canvas.
Select a User Group (e.g., System Administrators) if you wish to grant access to specific groups.
Skip the User Group selection if you intend to allow access for everyone.
Click Next. A new Canvas will be created.
Click Go to your Canvas now button to launch it in a new window.
Add widgets to the canvas.
Click + button. Widget Browser will open.
Use the Search box to search and filter water related widgets by typing widget’s name/partial name, e.g., Water.
We'll select the Current Monthly Water Usage widget, the Water Consumption (Category-wise) widget, and the Yearly Water Consumption widget.
Click Add Widgets. The selected widgets will be added to the canvas.
Filter and display data in the Current Monthly Water Usage widget. This widget displays current month’s water consumption.
Select the Current Monthly Water Usage widget.
Click the Filter icon.
Pick the required Location.
Select the Water Type, which is the water consumption category.
The data will be automatically populated and displayed.
Filter and display data in the Water Consumption (Category-wise) widget. This widget displays category-wise water usage.
Select the Water Consumption (Category-wise) widget.
Click the Filter icon.
Pick the required Year, Month and the Location to display the water consumption data.
Select the Water Consumption Category, e.g., Main Supply. This widget will be useful if you have multiple categories.
Filter and display data in the Yearly Water Consumption widget. This widget shows the water consumption details budgeted versus the actual entire year.
Select the Yearly Water Consumption widget.
Click the Filter icon.
Pick the required Year, Location and Water Type.
The data will be automatically populated and displayed.
The video below explains the process of monitoring water consumption in your building or workplace and setting budgets.
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