Electric Submeter

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People have varying ideas about what electric submetering actually is. While the ideas they have vary, most of them hinge on the actual truth about how electric submeters work.

Electric submeters are basically energy monitors that are attached downstream from electric meters. Each one breaks down the electric usage of individual tenants or dwelling units. It is monitored then broken down for a landlord or property owner to distribute a more accurate utility bill during the billing period. Other forms of utility submetering include: Water submetering and natural gas submetering.

"Installing a submetering system allows a property manager... to bill units individually for their share of the utilities. Submetering can be installed for all kinds of utilities, including water, gas, and electricity."

What are the benefits of electric submetering?

There are many benefits to using electric submetering. The biggest benefit is the ability to get accurate individual energy monitoring. This benefit is important for a landlord or property owner as well as the tenant.

For the landlord or property owner it removes the hassle of having to figure out individual electric consumption from the master meter.

For the tenant it allows you to have an accurate view of their actual energy usage based off of kwh(kilowatts per hour), as well as find out if there is any power wasted. It'll also help tenants lower their energy costs through energy conservation. This offers incentives based off of energy efficiency.

What properties can have electric submeters?

Properties that can have submeters include: apartment communities, mobile home communities, condominiums, residential buildings (such as student housing), as well as commercial offices and warehouses.

If you are the owner or landlord for an older property, it is best to make sure your electrical systems are up to code. Also you should check for any local utility meter or utility submeter regulations or utility company rules in your area.

Are there electric submetering regulations?

Regulations vary state from state. Be sure to read up on local ordinance and county ordinance. Additionally you want to research any local and state regulations before going with an utility submetering company. Failure to do so could cause financial damages.

Ratio utility billing system is a method that calculates a resident's utility bill based on a pre-set formula and usage information. The actual utility bill for the property is distributed to each resident based on this formula.

The formula is determined based on several variables including: occupancy, square footage, number of rooms, and number of water fixtures. Ratio utility billing systems encourages tenants to conserve power which would then cause their utility cost to decrease.

This type of billing can benefit both tenant and landlord. Reducing the bill for utility usage is a great benefit for the tenant. Reduced the usage through the utility meter typically means less use of appliances like dishwashers, washers, dryers, and water heaters. Less wear and tear is great for landlords.

A building owner that opts to use a utility submeter system will find that it is a much easier method of billing for electric use than attempting to include it in the rent or making a flat rate part of a rental agreement. Some people just don't care about their energy consumption or energy conservation. However, if an occupant is affected by their personal use through their individual meters, it is likely you will see a different attitude.

Electric submeter installation

Electric submeter installation can help improve your overall property valuation. Landlords and building operators for an apartment complex, condominiums, mult-unit residential buildings and many forms of commercial real property love our utility submetering solutions. The electrical master meter system simply doesn't help them control energy usage the way an individual electric submeter does when installed in each dwelling unit.

There are several different types of electric submeters. These include Modbus Sub-Meter, Pulse Energy Sub-meter, BACnet Power Meter and Pulse Submeter.

These submeters must meet the Ashrae 90.1 metering requirements. Ashrae 90.1 is an energy standard for buildings for energy efficiency. Some of these requirements include energy usage being recorded every 15 minutes, usage must be recorded hourly, daily, weekly and annually, as well as the data for each tenants energy usage must be made readily available for the tenant at all times.

Most of the newer submeters allow for wireless meter reading. This allows for better real-time transmission of data to the utility company and also makes the data more accessible to the energy consumer.