Buildings account for some of the world’s highest energy consumption and emissions— yet most organisations still rely on traditional energy management systems that were never built to scale.
Systems like that collect and visualise data—but they rarely scale into real savings. Hidden inefficiencies remain, audits go unused, and sustainability goals slip.
AI changes that. By analysing vast data streams in real time, AI-powered EMS platforms detect issues humans miss and guide the right actions.
In this article, we review five leading AI energy management platforms and highlight the scenarios where each excels. Whether you manage a global retail chain, a real estate portfolio, or public-sector buildings, this guide will help you understand which tool fits your needs best.
Why you need your energy management software to be AI-driven
For decades, energy management software has supported facility and sustainability teams by automating data collection and visualization. Yet the real bottleneck has always been human capacity: energy managers can only analyse so much data and investigate so many sites at once.
AI removes this ceiling. Modern algorithms can process millions of data points in seconds, detect inefficiencies invisible to the human eye, and translate findings into plain language. Instead of static dashboards, organisations get actionable insights that drive real performance improvements.
As a rule, there are different motivators—regulatory compliance, cost savings, sustainability targets, or brand image—but the challenges are the same:
- Avoiding overconsumption
Every building has an “optimal efficiency” threshold based on its technologies and usage. In practice, issues such as poor HVAC controls, faulty sensors, or ineffective maintenance create hidden waste. Without continuous detection, these problems accumulate unnoticed, driving up energy costs and emissions.
- Planning structural efficiency measures
Long-term efficiency requires more than maintenance. Renovations, lighting upgrades, insulation projects, or on-site generation improve the baseline. But even the best technologies underperform if not operated correctly. True efficiency means installing efficient systems and ensuring they are used as intended.
An AI-driven energy management software bridges both needs. It prevents waste by flagging anomalies as they happen and helps organisations plan capital projects with reliable data.
On top of that, AI helps navigate complexity: limited budgets, evolving regulations, subsidies, rising comfort demands, and new energy tariffs. Traditional approaches—replace what’s broken, comply with minimum requirements, invest only when subsidies exist—are not enough to achieve systematic reductions.
With AI-powered energy management software, organisations can:
- Prioritise the right measures at the right time
- Build strong business cases for investment
- Reduce audit and monitoring costs
- Stay compliant while meeting long-term sustainability goals
Top 5 AI energy management software in 2025
1. Enersee – best for large enterprises with complex building portfolios
Enersee is an AI-first energy management software built to handle the complexity of enterprise-scale building portfolios.
Unlike traditional EMS solutions that simply collect and visualise data, Enersee applies self-learning algorithms to every available data stream—metering, utilities, weather, occupancy, and building metadata.
Enersee also consolidates scattered data into a single “building dossier,” linking technical specifications with performance data. This eliminates reliance on spreadsheets and siloed monitoring tools, creating one central source of truth across portfolios. Benchmarking functions make it easy to compare performance across sites, flag underperforming assets, and highlight best-practice buildings.
Why it stands out:
- Moves beyond dashboards to deliver prescriptive, ROI-based recommendations.
- Prioritises issues by financial and carbon impact, so teams focus on what matters most.
- Functions as a 24/7 virtual energy manager, reducing dependence on limited human resources.
- Bridges silos between store managers, maintenance partners, and corporate energy teams.
Proven impact:
- In customer pilots, Enersee detected 3.6 anomalies per store compared to just 0.27 with traditional EMS approaches.
- Achieved an 85% true positive rate (identified issues being real rather than a false alarm).
- For one retailer, this translated into €3.5 million in annual savings per 1,000 stores, with potential savings of €40 million per year at scale.
- Wattson easily tracks energy performance across their whole project portfolio
Enersee is a great option for organisations that want to manage hundreds or thousands of sites without increasing headcount. By combining anomaly detection, automated ROI calculation, and clear action pathways, it enables enterprises to achieve double the energy savings with half the effort.
2. C3 AI – for teams building custom energy and sustainability platforms
C3 AI offers an energy management solution with a customizable suite of applications for energy, asset, and sustainability management. Rather than an out-of-the-box EMS, it functions as a set of building blocks that enterprises can configure into their own platform.
It can unify data from sensors, manufacturing systems, and emissions libraries, and apply AI-driven analytics to forecast consumption, emissions, and equipment performance.
The trade-off is complexity. Setting up and maintaining a C3 AI deployment requires significant time and in-house expertise. Embedding it into daily workflows is challenging, and without dedicated IT capacity, projects risk stalling. When implemented well, the system can deliver powerful results — but it is best suited for organisations prepared to invest heavily in configuration and maintenance.
C3 AI is recommended for IT-heavy teams with the resources to build and sustain a customised energy and sustainability platform, rather than for companies seeking fast deployment or turnkey solutions.
3. Ento – for a lightweight start in energy management
Ento is an energy management system that acts as a digital energy advisor for quick deployment and early results.
By connecting existing meter data—electricity, heating, water, or solar—users can quickly access portfolio views and basic insights. In practice, Ento helps teams identify saving potentials, track progress against energy goals, and verify savings. It also offers tools for HVAC optimisation and longer-term planning, such as roadmaps for decarbonisation or business cases for equipment upgrades.
However, when it comes to the usability of the tool, you might hit a wall. Ento’s interface and approach can feel cluttered, and the experience is less streamlined compared to more mature AI-driven EMS platforms. While it can be a stepping stone for those new to energy management, it is not always suited for scaling into a comprehensive, long-term system.
For organisations at the very start of their energy journey, Ento may serve as an entry point. But for teams that want to progress quickly to mature, portfolio-wide energy management, more advanced solutions are better equipped to combine fast onboarding with enterprise-grade functionality.
4. Trawa – for companies seeking integrated green energy supply and management
Trawa combines AI-driven energy management software with professional energy procurement, battery storage, and load-shifting solutions. The result is a holistic platform that reduces electricity costs while aligning companies with their climate targets.
With this tool, companies get access to 100% certified green electricity sourced directly from solar and wind parks, backed by guarantees of origin and transparent pricing.
On the consumption side, Trawa’s AI optimises usage patterns, helps avoid costly peak loads, and identifies efficiency opportunities. The platform integrates battery storage, enabling companies to shift demand, store surplus energy, and reduce grid fees.
For businesses looking to go beyond monitoring and actively transform their energy supply, Trawa offers a compelling proposition: predictable energy costs, a greener portfolio, and tools to leverage assets like CHP units, EV chargers, or cooling systems more intelligently.
Trawa is a good pick for organisations that want a single solution for both green energy procurement and smart energy management.
5. Next Sense– best for real estate portfolios targeting net zero
Next Sense is an energy management software platform for commercial real estate, with a focus on helping portfolios become Paris-proof. The solution combines high-level decarbonisation planning with AI-based local controls, such as optimising individual rooms for heating, cooling, or ventilation. This makes it a good option for asset managers who want detailed reporting against ESG benchmarks and scenario-based investment strategies.
The platform works across three layers: monitoring, reporting, and control. It provides real-time insights into building performance, generates ESG-aligned reports, and offers simulation-driven roadmaps for investment. Its AI control features can adjust specific systems to support energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
That said, Next Sense is not a full-featured energy management system. It excels at portfolio-level planning and highly localised optimisation but lacks the broad, day-to-day energy management functionality required to continuously monitor and address inefficiencies across large, diverse building stocks.
Final thoughts on energy management tools
Choosing the right AI energy management software is not about finding the “most advanced” tool on the market — it’s about matching capabilities to your organisation’s specific context. A utility-scale operator will not have the same requirements as a retail chain with thousands of outlets, or a real estate owner aiming for net zero certification.
Each of the five platforms we reviewed has clear strengths, from fast deployment to integrated procurement to deep decarbonisation strategy. For large enterprises with complex building portfolios, however, Enersee stands out as the solution that consistently delivers measurable savings at scale.
If you want to transform your energy management from reactive monitoring to proactive optimisation, book a demo with Enersee today and see how AI can double your savings with half the effort.
Written by
Anastasiia Andriiuk
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