A Note from the Team

In energy data, kWh is still king — but it’s not the whole story. As buildings and systems get more complex, the real value comes from knowing what to measure, and why.

In this edition of The DENT Current, we break down how different objectives — from HVAC control to tenant billing to data center reliability — each rely on different metrics. We hear the same question often:

“What do I need to be measuring for this?”

So we put together a practical guide to help answer that.

Also, a quick note: pricing changes are coming in 2026. With rising tariff impacts and ongoing cost pressures across the industry, now is a smart time to review upcoming projects and lock in 2025 pricing. Your DENT rep can help you plan ahead.

As always, we’re here to help you turn measurement into insight.

—The DENT Instruments Team

Energy Parameters by Application

Not every energy metric matters for every objective. Whether you’re optimizing HVAC performance, billing tenants, or monitoring power quality, the right data depends on your specific goals. This table maps key parameters to common objectives — helping you focus on what’s most relevant, and avoid drowning in unnecessary data.

Key Metric Overview
HVAC systems are among the largest energy consumers in commercial buildings. Monitoring equipment-level kWh, runtime, and load profiles allows facility teams to tune schedules, verify performance, and ensure systems aren’t running longer than needed. Interval data supports control logic and helps identify anomalies, while temperature correlation helps validate efficiency under varying conditions.

Reference:

“Building Automation Systems (BAS) Guide” – IESO, 2024. saveonenergy.ca

Key Metric Overview

Metrics like Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and CO₂e emissions provide a standardized way to compare buildings, track progress, and support certifications like LEED or national disclosure programs. These metrics are also increasingly important for ESG initiatives and science-based targets (SBTi). Monitoring them helps you understand how your facility stacks up — and where you need to improve.

Reference:

“LEED v4 energy update basics” — U.S.G.B.C. support.usgbc.org

Key Metric Overview
kWh is by far the most important metric in tenant billing, as it directly ties to how utilities charge for consumption. In most states, landlords can’t rebill tenants based on estimates — charges must be based on metered consumption. Without submeters, they either absorb the cost or roll it into rent.

Revenue-grade accuracy is critical to avoid disputes and ensure legal compliance. Meters that meet ANSI C12.20 Class 0.5 are often required. In some areas, submetering is even mandated for certain building sizes (e.g., NYC, Seattle, parts of California).

While kWh is essential, interval demand (kW) and load profiles are sometimes used to reflect demand-based charges, support energy education, or incentivize off-peak usage.

Reference:

“Submetering and Tenant Metering FAQs” — Eaton, 2025. eaton.com

Key Metric Overview

Poor power quality can damage equipment, degrade performance, and cause costly downtime. Harmonics — especially individual components like the 3rd, 5th, and 7th — can lead to transformer heating, neutral overloading, and nuisance tripping. But in modern systems, the risk doesn’t stop there.

Non-linear loads like VFDs, LED lighting, and data center electronics generate high-frequency distortion, often well beyond the 35th harmonic. These higher-order harmonics can resonate with system capacitance or inductance, overheating cables, stressing components, and introducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) into nearby controls or communication lines — especially in hospitals, labs, or industrial environments.

Because these events are brief and complex, power quality monitoring requires high-resolution data capture and fast sampling rates. Metrics like Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) provide a high-level view, but storing individual harmonics — often up to the 50th or 63rd order — offers critical forensic insight and ensures alignment with standards like IEEE 519.

Reference:

“Power Quality: Definition, Why and How Do We Measure It?” — Hioki Knowledge Center. hioki.com

“Understanding the IEEE 519‑2014 Standard for Harmonics”  (elspec‑ltd.com)

Key Metric Overview
kWh and interval demand help track usage and allocate costs accurately. But in dense IT environments, power quality issues can lead to unexpected shutdowns or long-term equipment degradation. These are often caused by non-linear loads, such as failing UPS systems, power supplies, or other electronic gear.

Because even small disturbances can disrupt sensitive loads, some applications require high-resolution power quality monitoring. Devices with onboard waveform capture and fast sampling rates can detect high-frequency harmonics, voltage transients, and other short-duration events that are critical for root-cause analysis and diagnostics.

Reference:

“Energy Monitoring for Data Centers: The Right Measurement Technology at Every Point” — Janitza white paper.

Overall Strategy:

Energy Management vs. Energy Optimization vs. Power Management

These three terms are often used interchangeably, but they are unique strategies that serve different goals. Understanding the distinction helps you measure what matters most.

Planning Ahead:

A Note on 2026 Pricing

Across the industry, tariff pressures and supply chain shifts are making 2026 a turning point for metering hardware pricing. Many manufacturers — including DENT — are preparing for cost adjustments in the new year.

While we’ve worked hard to hold pricing steady, some updates are coming. If you’re planning early 2026 deployments, now is a great time to secure current pricing and protect your project budgets.

We’re encouraging our partners to review open projects and consider buying ahead where possible. Acting early ensures you’re covered — before broader industry pricing changes take hold.

Talk to your DENT sales rep today to review your 2026 plans, explore purchasing options, or get a quote.

We’re here to help you stay ahead — and stay on budget.

Have a question?

Ask the DENT Sales team or reach out to Technical Support!

Dent Instruments has an exceptional customer success and account management team available to handle any questions.

• Grant Beehler – Strategic Account Manager (gbeehler@dentinstruments.com)

• Reino Mattila – Strategic Account Manager (rmattila@dentinstruments.com)

• Jenn Fishback – Inside Sales Specialist (jfishback@dentinstruments.com)

• Brian Kausler – Director of Sales & Marketing (bkausler@dentinstruments.com)

• Maren Tucker – Sales Assistant (mtucker@dentinstruments.com)

• General Inquiries– sales@dentinstruments.com
  

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