Connect ioTORQ EMIS to ChatGPT, Claude, or Microsoft Copilot and ask questions about your energy and environmental data in plain English.
Instead of searching through EMIS manually, you can ask a question and get an answer using the live EMIS data you already have permission to access.
For example:
How much gas did Boiler 1 use last month?
What alerts are open at the Vancouver plant?
Was Chilled Water Supply Temperature within its target range last week?
How it works
Supported AI applications can connect to ioTORQ EMIS using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP is an open standard that provides a consistent way for AI applications to request information from systems such as EMIS.
ioTORQ EMIS provides an MCP server that responds to these requests with the EMIS data the signed-in user is permitted to access.
EMIS does not run an AI model as part of this connection. It provides read-only access to specific EMIS information when requested by the connected AI application. The AI application handles the AI processing and presents the response to the user
What this means for you
It uses live EMIS data. Information is retrieved from EMIS when you ask your question, rather than from a separate export or copy.
It is read-only. The AI application can retrieve and compare information, but it cannot edit variables, change data, or acknowledge alerts.
Your EMIS permissions still apply. The connection uses your EMIS account, so you can only access the sites, variables, targets, and alerts you already have permission to view.
What you can do
Instead of signing in to EMIS, finding the right variable, selecting a date range, and reviewing the data manually, you can simply ask.
Find a variable
Find the boiler feed water flow variable at the Vancouver plant.
Retrieve data
How much gas did Boiler 1 use last month?
Give me the Chilled Water Supply Temperature for last week, hourly, in local time.
Compare data against a target
Was the Chilled Water Supply Temperature within its target range last week?
Review alerts
What alerts are open at the Vancouver plant? Show the most important first.
Navigate your organisation
Which sites and buildings can I access?
Choose your AI application
What information can it retrieve?
The ioTORQ EMIS connection currently provides nine read-only capabilities:
Capability | What it does |
Search variables | Finds a variable by name or code |
Get variable | Retrieves information about how a variable is configured |
Get variable data | Retrieves a variable's data for a specified date range |
Browse organisation | Lists the sites and organisational structure you can access |
List targets | Shows the targets configured for a variable |
Get target data | Retrieves target values for comparison |
List alerts | Lists alerts for a site |
Get alert | Retrieves details about a specific alert |
Ping | Confirms that the connection to EMIS is working |
These capabilities are read-only. Actions such as acknowledging an alert, editing a variable, or correcting data must still be performed directly in EMIS.
Ask specific questions
The AI assistant retrieves information from EMIS as needed, rather than having the full context of your EMIS environment at once. Provide relevant details and, for broader requests, start with a specific question and build on the answer step by step.
Name the site: Include the site or building to help identify the right variable.
For example: Show gas consumption for Boiler 1 at the Vancouver plant.
Give the date range: Specify the period you want to review.
For example: Show gas consumption for Boiler 1 from 1 to 7 March
Specify the timezone when it matters: Ask for “local time” or provide a timezone, particularly for hourly or daily data.
For example: Show hourly consumption for last week in local time.
Specify the level of detail: Tell the application whether you need hourly, daily, or monthly information.
For example: Show daily electricity consumption for July.
For broader questions, work step by step. For example, instead of asking:
How is the Vancouver plant performing?
Start with a more specific question:
Show me the daily electricity consumption for the Vancouver plant for July.
Data volume
A single request can retrieve approximately 4,500 readings. Large date ranges with high-frequency data may therefore need to be split into smaller requests.
For example, a full year of 15-minute data is too large for one request. Ask for a shorter period or a lower level of detail instead.
Current limitations
The connection currently:
Cannot change data or configuration in EMIS
Cannot acknowledge or close alerts
Cannot create EMIS dashboards, reports, or exports
Permissions and data handling
The AI application can access only the sites, variables, targets, and alerts that your EMIS account is authorized to view.
If your EMIS permissions change, the information available through the connection changes accordingly. Connecting an AI application does not grant additional EMIS permissions.
Each user signs in with their own account
Each person authorizes the connection using their own EMIS account. Users do not inherit the EMIS permissions of the person who originally configured the connection.
Data is shared with the AI application you choose
When you ask a question, your question and the EMIS information needed to answer it are sent to the AI application you connected. Depending on the application, this may be OpenAI for ChatGPT, Anthropic for Claude, or Microsoft for Copilot. How that information is handled is governed by your organisation's agreement and the applicable terms for that service.
Check your organisation's policies before connecting or using an AI application with production EMIS data.
Your password is not shared with the AI application
You authenticate directly with ioTORQ EMIS using your own account. Your EMIS password is not provided to the connected AI application. You can disconnect the integration when you no longer want the application to access EMIS on your behalf.
Troubleshooting
If you have trouble connecting or using ioTORQ EMIS with your AI application, see the Troubleshooting guide.