In a market where consumers--both residential and commercial--are giving recognition to their carbon footprint and taking control of their consumption, energy suppliers, technology companies, and even the government is getting involved--making consumption data more accessible, creating initiatives that make these partnerships more feasible, and creating systems and technology to simplify and gauge behaviors and performance.

As a result, a slew of new technologies are being released into the market, allowing consumers real access to their consumption patterns, helping to identify deficiencies in operations and even suggesting upgrades where deficiencies may be occurring. Encouraging enough, these applications don't have to be a costly investment. In fact, some are quite affordable--or even better--free. Here are three applications that are trending in the energy management market that any organization can afford.

1. ASHRAE--HVAC ASHRAE 62.1-2010 -- This application measures a commercial building's air quality to ensure its within indoor air quality (IAQ) and minimum ventilation standards as determined by ASHRAE--which is the nation's leading metric for air quality. The measurements provided by the application also ensure that a user is within the paramaters to gain the air quality LEED credit.

2. ecoInsight's Mobile Audit for iPad -- This free application is an energy audit tool which collects data while a building operator performs a walk, then suggests efficiency upgrades once the data has been uploaded to ecoInsight's online tool.

3. Melon Power --This is the second place winning application in the EPA's Apps for Energy Contest which essentially performs the tasks of a contractor that determines an ENERGY STAR score. The app costs $500 per building and works by inputting 12-month consumption data supplied by energy companies offering theGreen Building option stemming from the White House's recent call to action.

These applications demonstrate that companies need not make hefty investments to moderate their consumption. These tools are great beginning tools to consider before, perhaps, investing in integrated suites offering a full spread of features such as the above.

For more information about these applications, read the original story on the Software Advice
blog here.

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Ashley M. Halligan
Software Advice