Overview

Alerts allows you to automatically notify users when a specific condition is detected in a building, giving teams the information they need to take immediate action.

Add an alert

Alerts can be configured for individual points and bill points—including calculated points and bill points.

There are three ways to add an alert:

Go to the Alerts app.
Go to the Alerts tab for any point or bill point.
Go to Points or Bills on the left side menu. Select one or more points or bill points using the checkboxes on the left side of the table. Then, go to Actions > Create alert.

To add an alert, select the 'Add an alert' button. In the modal window that appears, you can configure the following parameters:

Field	Description
Name	The alert's name. Each name should be easily distinguishable from other alert names.
Data type	Select a data type to filter the list of available point types displayed below.
Point type	Select a point type to filter the list of available points displayed below.
Points	The point(s), bill point(s), or sensor(s) to which the alert pertains. This field permits searching by both building name and point name.
Condition	The condition that triggers the alert. See list of conditions in the table below. "Rate exceeds" and "Rate exceeds forecast by" use quarter-hour readings. "Rate less than" looks at source readings.
Unit	The unit for the corresponding condition's value. If multiple points are selected, Unit will normalize any disparate source units across the selected points.
Value	The value for the corresponding condition.
Month	The month(s) during which the alert applies.
Day of week	The day(s) during which the alert applies within the aforementioned month(s).
Start / End	The time of day during which the alert applies within the aforementioned month(s) and day(s).
Recipients	The Atrius users who are notified by email when an alert is generated.
Message (optional)	A description, instructions, or note to be displayed with notifications generated by this alert.
Delivery frequency	The interval over which the alert will be delivered. Immediately: the alert email will be delivered shortly after the condition is met. (If multiple readings in a row meet the condition, the next email will only be sent when the condition is no longer met, then met again.) Daily summary: the summary of all alert occurrences from the previous day will be sent at 6pm PST. Weekly summary: the summary of all alert occurrences from the previous week will be sent on Mondays at 6pm PST. Monthly summary: the summary of all alert occurrences from the previous month will be sent at 6pm PST on the 1st day of the month.

Available conditions are based on the selected data type:

Data type	Conditions
Bills	Daily consumption exceeds Daily consumption exceeds forecast by Daily cost exceeds Monthly consumption exceeds Monthly consumption exceeds forecast by Monthly consumption less than Monthly cost exceeds Monthly cost exceeds forecast by Monthly cost less than
Interval meters	Rate exceeds Rate exceeds forecast by Rate less than Daily consumption exceeds Daily consumption exceeds forecast by Daily consumption less than Daily consumption less than forecast by Daily cost exceeds Monthly consumption exceeds Monthly consumption exceeds forecast by Monthly consumption less than Monthly consumption less than forecast by Monthly cost exceeds
Systems & sensors / Other measurements	Rate exceeds Rate exceeds forecast by Rate less than Daily total exceeds Daily total exceeds forecast by Daily total less than Daily total less than forecast by Daily cost exceeds Monthly total exceeds Monthly total exceeds forecast by Monthly total less than Monthly total less than forecast by Monthly cost exceeds

🚧 Be sure to select the correct point

Depending on the point or bill point nomenclature used by your organization, selecting the correct point for an alert can require extra care. If you have difficulty understanding which points are from a given building, or which have a scope of Whole building versus Sub-point or Sub-bill, we recommend creating the alert by going to the Alerts tab for the desired point.

Edit alerts

Use the Search or Filter to narrow your selection to a subset of alerts to edit.

Edit multiple alerts at once

To edit multiple alerts, select one or more alerts using the checkboxes on the left side of the table. Then, go to Actions. Here, choose from the available batch actions, like 'Set recipients', 'Subscribe', 'Unsubscribe', or 'Delete alerts'.

Subscribe to an alert

Find the alert in the table and select the dropdown menu on that row, then select 'Subscribe'. In the modal window that appears, confirm that you wish to subscribe to the alert.

Unsubscribe from an alert

Filter the table to display only alerts in which you are a recipient. Find the alert in the table and select the dropdown menu on that row, then select 'Unsubscribe'. In the modal window that appears, confirm that you wish to unsubscribe from the alert.

Best practices and ways to use

🚧 Examine your point or bill point data first

Before configuring alerts, take a close look at your historical consumption, demand, or cost data to make sure you're setting the correct thresholds for your points or bill points, based on typical or forecasted use.

Reduce peak demand charges

Peak demand charges on your electricity bill could be as much as 40% of your total spend. Create a 'Rate exceeds' alert to notify users when your building approaches or reaches your Utility Prices schedule's peak demand threshold during the time of the day, week, or year when peak demand charges are in effect.

By referencing Trend Analysis, you can identify what the typical consumption or peak demand is for an individual point. You may then use this value to create a demand-based threshold.

Above: Peak demand for the period is 76 kW. This is a good starting point for establishing a demand-based threshold.

Detect demand deviations and anomalies

Building operating schedules are programmed for a reason. Create a 'Rate exceeds forecast by', 'Total daily consumption exceeds forecast by', or 'Total monthly consumption exceeds forecast by' alert to notify users when usage patterns outside of the typical usage profile of the building occur.

Above: In this example, the blue line represents a forecast of expected consumption. A 'Rate exceeds forecast by 25%' alert would notify users when demand (orange line) exceeds forecast by 25%.

Avoid costly energy use overages

You have a budget for a reason. Create a 'Total monthly spend exceeds' alert to notify users when your building approaches a certain spending threshold, or when monthly costs exceed a specified amount. Consider configuring alerts to match each month's budgeted amount, or use a monthly average.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
I don't receive cost-based alert emails when I expect to.	Find the Utility Prices schedule that is linked to the point. Ensure that the Display unit matches the cost per unit of the point.
I'm receiving an alert email that someone added me to, and I want to unsubscribe from it.	To unsubscribe from the alert, filter the table to display only alerts in which you are a recipient. Find the alert in the table and select the dropdown menu on that row, then select 'Unsubscribe'.

📘 Contact Customer Support

For any questions regarding this article, please contact Customer Support.