Via Varejo Adopts Enel X's Digital Energy and Utilities Management Solution

4.0 technology has been providing expressive results in the entire value chain, whether from an operational, financial, strategic or even environmental point of view.

It is in this context that Via Varejo, a leading company in the segment, responsible for managing the physical shops and e-commerce of the Casas Bahia, Pontofrio, Extra.com.br and Bartira brands, has signed a strategic partnership with Enel X.[VA1]

To ensure a complete, strategic and analytical view of its cost and consumption bases, Via Varejo now has the UBM - Utility Bill Management tool from Enel X, which uses technology to aggregate the management of utilities bills, such as gas, water and sanitation among others, in a single platform.[VA2] 

In addition to bill management, through centralisation, standardisation and data visibility, the complete solution, composed of specialised software and consultants, performs invoice payments, monitoring of KPIs (Performance Indicators) and also monitors credits that can be recovered, in view of invoicing errors, bearing in mind avoidable costs such as fines for power factor and payment delays.

Bill Payments Management

The management of monthly bills is a challenge for companies of the most diverse sizes and segments, and even more so for those with operations distributed throughout the country, such as Via Varejo, which is present in over 400 Brazilian municipalities, 20 states and the Federal District, with about 1,000 physical shops, 26 distribution centres and warehouses.

Historically, the company used a system adapted to manage utility bills, without systematic data validation, identification of anomalies and distortions in consumption patterns.

The receipt of bills, for the most part, was physically via pouches sent by branches, which was a method that, in times of digitalisation, needed to be reviewed.

In addition to these facilities, UBM compares spending between company units, detects undue tariff charges and clearly highlights opportunities for cost reduction.

In view of the positive results obtained so far, Via Varejo is planning to add to the platform the management of its units’ water consumption, in addition to the accounts payable service, which will integrate the payment data from the UBM platform directly to the company's SAP.

Energy Efficiency Management

Through the use of UBM, the company is now able to compare  the energy performance of the branches, including variables such as store area or even the local weather conditions. It also enables the monitoring of the result of initiatives developed by Via Varejo with a focus on reducing energy consumption, such as the modernisation of the lighting in the units, the installation of distributed generation systems and the purchase of energy in the free market, which allows an overview of the compensated, injected energy and costs avoided.  

The tool has a very analytical and strategic profile. This allowed the creation of an Internal Report in PowerBI, using the mass of data provided by UBM, strengthening ties with the various areas of the company and making Energy Management, as well as all the projects developed, more transparent, with results and gains made available to the entire company. 

UBM also ensures compliance with all current and future local energy measurement laws, transparency regulations and many other benefits.

Sustainability Indicators Management

Today, management with strong sustainability pillars has made companies much more competitive in the market.

This can be explained by the fact that companies with ESG practices (index that evaluates the operations of companies according to their impacts on three pillars of sustainability — Environment, Social and Governance) perform better in moments of instability, as they take good care of employees and the entire value chain, which brings more confidence to investors and stakeholders.

The monitoring of sustainability indicators plays a key role in this context. Automation of sustainability metrics and monitoring of CO2 emissions with regional or customised emission factors are possible with the implementation of UBM, streamlining the management of targets, consumption and emissions, e.g. calculation and reporting of carbon footprints at local and global levels.

On the energy transition journey, which is the switch from highly polluting models of energy generation to renewable and lower environmental impact sources, the right decision is to change the mindset about how energy is managed on a corporate level, into a more digital, holistic and sustainable approach. 

Find out even more

On October 29th, at 10am (Brasilia time), Enel X will hold a webinar alongside Via Varejo for you to learn more about this successful case.

Until then, read more about Artificial Intelligence in Energy Management and how innovation will be decisive for the economic recovery (article in Brazilian Portuguese) and prepare your questions!