AbstractIndustrial bus systems are the backbone of production control and management. Regardless of the utilised technology, industrial communication systems realise feedback loops from sensors and control values to actuators. Industrial communication is also the basis for an operative energy management system. Energy demands are metered and send to management and decision support tools to be analysed and evaluated. Present industrial bus technologies from production and building automation domains offer different functionalities to support an operative energy management. This paper aims to discuss the requirements of an advanced energy management system regarding the technical issues of appropriate data communication means. By describing the properties of various bus systems the advantages and disadvantages of each one is shown and the applicability for the described utilisation is considered. Finally, the possibilities to apply machine control mechanisms through the bus systems are analysed.