Software for energy monitoring and targeting
There are numerous products on the market under the label 'monitoring and targeting' but if you want to use the software for active waste avoidance there are two particular attributes to look for:

"Overspend league table" reporting
The software must be able to display the costs of deviations from expected consumption for each monitored stream, ranked in descending order. This will give you a quick hit-list of exceptions. It requires no specialist M&T or energy knowledge to interpret this report, nor to follow up any significant overspends, since conventional enquiries should yield clues about what has caused the problems.
Selective regression analysis and cusum charting
Many products treat a regression line as a passive output, merely displaying the estimated relationship between consumption and its main driving factor. Better software integrates regression analysis into the target-setting process but for best results one needs to be able to validate targets by reference to the resulting cusum chart. The procedure becomes iterative and it is a great help to be able to (a) select points in any chart at will by clicking on them; (b) switch rapidly between the cusum and scatter diagram view and see the same selected points marked; (c) request a regression analysis of selected points only.
I developed an Excel analysis workbook (right) that provides the graphical analysis functionality. Selected chart points are indicated by red circles which are synchronised between the various charts, and can be turned on and off with a mouse click.

NIFES "XSDplot" screen shots

Optima screen shots

Optima (above) and TEAM Sigma HF (below) are the only two proprietary software products I know of that can do this properly. Both display the cusum and scatter diagrams on the same screen, which is very convenient. Optima allows you to view the values of data points by hovering over them as well as being able to include/exclude either single points by clicking on them or ranges of points using a click+drag using the mouse; TEAM also shows the table with check-boxes for picking the data points.

Team Sigma screen shot

A third proprietary product, RSEnergyMetrix from Rockwell Automation, comes close. When last I studied it, you could selectively hide chart points to omit them from analysis and charting (quite useful in itself) but you could not actively select them for analysis while keeping other points available for charting. The distinction is subtle but important.


Software for energy monitoring and targeting There are numerous products on the market under the label 'monitoring and targeting' but if you want to use the software for active waste avoidance there are two particular attributes to look for:
"Overspend league table" reporting The software must be able to display the costs of deviations from expected consumption for each monitored stream, ranked in descending order. This will give you a quick hit-list of exceptions. It requires no specialist M&T or energy knowledge to interpret this report, nor to follow up any significant overspends, since conventional enquiries should yield clues about what has caused the problems. Selective regression analysis and cusum charting Many products treat a regression line as a passive output, merely displaying the estimated relationship between consumption and its main driving factor. Better software integrates regression analysis into the target-setting process but for best results one needs to be able to validate targets by reference to the resulting cusum chart. The procedure becomes iterative and it is a great help to be able to (a) select points in any chart at will by clicking on them; (b) switch rapidly between the cusum and scatter diagram view and see the same selected points marked; (c) request a regression analysis of selected points only. I developed an Excel analysis workbook (right) that provides the graphical analysis functionality. Selected chart points are indicated by red circles which are synchronised between the various charts, and can be turned on and off with a mouse click.	NIFES "XSDplot" screen shots
Optima screen shots
Optima (above) and TEAM Sigma HF (below) are the only two proprietary software products I know of that can do this properly. Both display the cusum and scatter diagrams on the same screen, which is very convenient. Optima allows you to view the values of data points by hovering over them as well as being able to include/exclude either single points by clicking on them or ranges of points using a click+drag using the mouse; TEAM also shows the table with check-boxes for picking the data points. Team Sigma screen shot