System Overview
Meters & Submetering
Utility meters are devices to measure and record the consumption of utilities such as electricity, water, natural gas, and steam. Main utility meters measure the total consumption for an entire building or property. Submeters are additional meters installed to measure utility consumption in more detail, whether for a specific area, system or device , and are often used in multi-tenant buildings, commercial spaces and industrial facilities to allocate utility costs accurately and fairly among different users.
Submetering Wizard
Not sure what submeter is best for you?
Use the Submetering Wizard to learn about submetering techniques and benefits by system.
By measuring more detailed consumption information for different buildings in a multi-building campus, different floors of the same building, different tenants in a multi-tenant office or facility, individual building systems, electrical circuits, or even specific devices, submeters can offer a powerful insight into a building's resource use, which helps to identify building inefficiencies, meet performance goals, and improve occupant awareness. Data from well designed submetering systems can guide management strategies that result in significantly reduced energy and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings and portfolios. As the saying goes, “what gets measured gets managed.” Check out the Submetering Wizard to learn about submetering features and benefits by submeter type.
Submetering Components
- Submeter Levels
Benefits Summary
Submeters provide the data needed for establishing a baseline and allow for benchmarking against performance standards and optimized operations and maintenance programs via fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) and energy conservation measures (ECMs). Choosing the right submetering placement for a building is largely determined by the anticipated benefits that help to meet performance goals. Below are the five main benefit categories that can be realized through an effective submetering program.
- Economic Benefits: O&M changes informed by submeter data can result in improved asset management and utilization, savings due to increased system or energy efficiency, and/or reduced costs. In addition, submetering systems provide more accurate billing and revenue capture.
- Reliability Benefits: Provide early indications of pending or actual equipment failure, allowing for proactive O&M measures that can decrease power interruptions and malfunctions and improve power quality.
- Environmental Benefits: Lessen the impact on the internal and external environment, and reduce the impact on tenant or occupant health.
- Security Benefits: Enhance the security of data and physical property, and reduce the risk of physical hazards to personnel.
- Behavioral Benefits: Heighten occupant energy consumption awareness.
Many of the uses and benefits of submetering data can also be combined to achieve maximized outcomes and savings.