Digital Extra A
Property Management Select
t Elite, we work with companies to make sure they only install sub metering systems where tangible benefits can be achieved. We feel that some customers find
the whole process can be very confusing, but with a bit of pre-planning, that confusion can be eliminated. Is sub metering right for me? The decision to install sub metering is not a difficult decision if you are serious about reducing and managing your energy usage. Why are you thinking of installing sub
metering? There are many different reasons for doing so, typically to improve your ‘green’ credentials or purely financial, ie, to reduce operating costs. Whatever your reason, as your energy bill accounts for between 20 - 30% of your expenditure, you can’t afford not to know where it’s being used. In no other part of your business would
you approve large expenditure with no means of measuring efficiency, so why do it on your energy bill? Also, taking into consideration the legislative measures introduced for carbon reduction, this could have a major impact on your cash flow. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
What should I sub meter? So you’ve taken the decision to install sub meters. The usual reaction is to appoint a company to install sub metering on your entire building. This may not be the best or most cost effective next step. What you should be asking is:
• Where is the energy used within my building? – Analyse your main meter bills electric, gas, water to work out where your energy is used; • What parts of my building are 24Hr operation or business/safety critical; • Where in my building can I reduce energy usage? Arming yourself with the above basic
energy information, which should already be readily available to you, will help with the next step.
The most important criteria should be to
install sub metering on items of plant or equipment where you can effect a change to, or on systems where you are planning to carry out energy initiatives works.
If
you have the luxury of being able to afford to meter all the energy use within your building then all well and good, but why sub meter something that is, and will always be, fixed? Our retail customers set a KPI of 70%
sub meter coverage of their Main Electricity Meter (MPAN) which encompasses all the electrical usage they need to manage. If you do want further coverage, you will usually find you need to use the same amount of meters to find the remaining 30% unmetered, as it is
made up of smaller loads, as you do to meter the 70%. Sub Metering can always be easily
added to in the future so this decision is not critical.
Get them in quickly? So you now know where you are going to install your sub meters you can just get on and install them? Wrong! The energy data you will ultimately
receive back from your system (which you will be basing all your energy reductions plans and targeted visits on) is only as good as the quality of the metering
52 l Property Management Select l july/august 2010 l
www.pm-select.co.uk
installation. We have experience of customers
installing millions of pounds worth of metering equipment only to find out the data doesn’t make sense and they are no further forward than before. This is usually due to: • Poor installation and setup of meters and current transmitters; • Inaccurate commissioning data; • Incorrect labelling of meters; • Double counting of load. All of the above is easily avoided by putting in place a robust project management process enabling you to
To meter or not that’s not such a
Simon Bowe, MD of Elite Controls Solutions, believes that companies in the retail and commercial property sectors are taking the decision to install sub meters to measure energy consumption, when in some cases it may not provide the expected functionality or return on investment
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