Submetering Best Practices

Submetering?is the first step towards energy monitoring and efficiency. By tracking and measuring the consumption of natural gas, water, electricity, heating, and cooling in buildings, energy managers can improve the building performance and reduce the carbon footprint by following some smart practices.

BEST SUBMETERING PRACTICES TO CONSIDER

DEVELOP A STRATEGY GEARED TO MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND

Submeters do not reduce consumption by themselves. a good analogy would be the scale in the bathroom that one could use to track weight with the intent of losing weight, knowing the number every morning is just information. An indicator does nothing and does not make one lose weight, but understanding where the weight is going and what one is eating is a fundamental factor in driving change in that sense, going on a diet is a different matter.?

In a similar fashion, Submeters?provide detailed and real-time consumption data that allows energy and building managers to understand the consumption in their buildings. Without a clear understanding, there is no point in developing an actionable plan to minimize costs.?Using submetered?data to benchmark?your building’s energy use, analyzing specific areas, or equipment, creating energy budgets and reports, performing measurement and verification for projects, verifying utility bills are some of the methods that help?in understanding the what, when, and how the consumption takes place.?

CONSIDER WHAT YOU WILL TRACK

Sometimes buildings or campuses are complex and large. Starting small is always better. Clearly define what you will?target to measure?- a building within the campus, a section of a building, or a specific series of devices, or equipment, will be easier to submeter and analyze. Once identified, determine where they are installed, and what the use is, as well as the schedule of use. Electrical Submeters can be placed within a subpanel, a sub-distribution system, or at multiple points, and the same rationale applies to water, gas, heating, and cooling fluids. Then proceed to capture the consumption information and analyze each one to compare to your expectations, or to target conservation in the selected areas, monitoring for?continuous commissioning?is also a good practice, once established, continue to accumulate small successes.??

PLAN FOR ADDITIONAL SUBMETERING IN FUTURE

Planning must include what can be added in the future. There are always budget restrictions, time or occupancy limitations, as expressed before, either because of size or complexity. It is always important to pick systems that operate on an open protocol, and are presented without hidden recurring fees for data. Find a?supplier that will give you ownership of your data, whose meters operate and communicate using the most popular communication protocols. This will allow you to additional submetering or upgrades in the future at lower costs, that build upon the initial implementation, and would not tie you to a single supplier for life, or force you to a costly change.?

COMPARE ALL COSTS

The Labor cost to install submetering is an important factor to consider, particularly in retrofit applications where space is limited and tenants or owners are occupying the space. When buying a sub-metering system, involve the installers, plumbers, and electricians to review the equipment, assess its ratings and explore the installation process to determine the ease of installation.

The cost of?submeter?installations, maintenance, and operation, are not all same. Particularly if you depend on multiple vendors for each type of meter you plan to use, whether?electrical,?water,?thermal energy, or?gas. It is always advantageous to rely on an integrator that can work along with you from conception to the complete data integration within your own IT constraints. It is also important to consider supplier dependability for support and product compatibility.