Energy & Electrical Submetering: Making the Submeter Case

Today’s escalating energy costs put increasing pressure on businesses and organizations to proactively manage their energy use. There is a growing sense of urgency to understand energy consumption patterns and to develop effective actions to manage their associated expenses.

Gaining the upper hand on electrical costs often begins with some comprehensive detective work: Taking measurements, locating energy hogs, and understanding time-of-use issues. As facility managers, engineers, and electrical supervisors know, the price of electricity is more than simply a matter of cost per kilowatt hour. Peak demand charges and power factor penalties can drive operating costs through the roof.

Load profile studies and energy audits can provide the baseline data necessary for a comprehensive energy management program. Armed with solid data, energy managers find it possible to reduce demand, contain costs, improve equipment performance, identify energy conservation measures, and curtail use during periods of high energy costs.

WHAT IS SUBMETERING?

Submetering refers to the monitoring of consumption of individual equipment within a building. In the

case of electrical submetering, the equipment being monitored may include HVAC, lighting, or kitchen/refrigeration. Utility submetering also allows a landlords or property owners to monitor consumption

in order to bill tenants for individual utility usage.

Obtaining usage and consumption data by submetering is sound business practice. Submeter benefits can include capturing lost revenues from retail, building, and department tenants, verifying cost savings on capital projects, scheduling preventative maintenance on equipment and optimizing performance of the entire facility.

BENEFITS OF SUBMETERING

  • Quickly identify whether equiment is being left on during the night or over the weekend
  • Compare usage across similar facilities, such as other branches or store locations
  • In-depth view of facility energy data in real-time
  • Identify maintenance issues before equipment failure
  • Provide facility managers with feedback on which changes are working and what to do next

Have you incorporated submetering into your energy management program? Do you rely on spot metering to compliment your submetering strategy? If you’re looking for a solid submeter solution, DENT Instruments can help. Please contact us to learn more about our PowerScout meters and flexible RoCoil (Rogowski) current transformers.