ABSTRACT
A number of new technologies and engineering techniques are emerging that can have a significant impact on future energy consumption and energy systems. This chapter looks at the directions and some specific areas in which energy services companies (ESCOs) working with customers may develop new services. The use of a monitoring and targetting for self-billing would give an energy supplier more accurate information and potentially, better cash flow, as well as reduced administrative costs in resolving billing errors. At the consumer level intelligent buildings, industrial facilities with distributed energy management systems, and even homes could use intelligent software agents to optimise energy consumption. For some time environmentalists and others have promoted the idea of supplying energy needs from small-scale, embedded generating plants, using technologies such as combined heat and power and trigeneration and renewables. As well as providing energy efficiency services there is potential for ESCOs to move into environmental projects as well as energy projects.
