MONITORING & METERING The hidden cost of poorly specified metering
In the age of net zero targets and rising energy costs, it is astonishing that one of the most fundamental aspects of building performance – accurate metering – remains so poorly understood, specified and managed across the UK, says Tim Hooper.
Tim Hooper
www.elcomponent.co.uk
F
Managing director of Elcomponent Ltd
proper consideration of communication protocols, data access, or future maintenance. A core issue is that metering is often
rom commercial buildings and manufacturing facilities to mixed-use developments, the lack of well-planned, properly
commissioned metering systems for electricity, gas, water, heating, and cooling continues to cause significant and avoidable problems. Metering is not a tick-box exercise; it is the backbone of effective energy and utilities management. Without high- quality metering systems, buildings cannot be operated efficiently, energy use cannot be accurately understood, and sustainability claims cannot be credibly verified. Yet, time and again, we see projects where metering is under-specified, over-specified, shoehorned in late, or installed without
treated as a procurement afterthought, bundled into mechanical and electrical contracts without sufficient design input or strategic oversight. This results in mismatched components, gaps in coverage, or systems that simply do not function as intended. Worse still, the lack of rigorous commissioning, if it happens at all, means that even well-specified meters may never report correct or usable data. This disorder leads to a cascade of issues: energy managers cannot track consumption, facilities teams struggle with opaque or missing data, and managing agents face tenant disputes over billing accuracy. Compliance with regulations such as Part L, BREEAM, and ESOS becomes tenuous at best, and building performance drifts far from design intent. Poor metering undermines not only operational excellence but also efforts to decarbonise.
First principles The remedy is not complicated, but it does require discipline and investment in expertise. Metering systems must be designed from first principles, with a clear understanding of what needs to be measured, how it will be measured, and, crucially, how the data will be communicated and accessed. This is not about selecting meters with every conceivable feature or producing an over-engineered specification. It is also not about choosing a web portal with the promise of automated AI and auto- matically delivered savings. It is about choosing the right meters for the right requirements. That means understand- ing who needs the data, how they will use it, and ensuring the systems deliver the correct data to the correct people at the correct time. This task demands experienced engineers – professionals who have delivered robust metering solutions, understand data architecture, and can anticipate operational realities. These are not generalists, but specialists with a proven track record in complex
system installation and commissioning. Their expertise ensures that meters are not only technically sound, but also log- ically structured, correctly networked, and reliably feeding the necessary system, whether EMS, BI tools, or third- party platforms. Moreover, successful metering relies on the thoughtful management of system hardware. This includes deci- sions around data loggers, gateways, redundancy, cybersecurity, and interop- erability and future-evolving platforms. Without clear ownership and ongoing stewardship, even the best systems will deteriorate into confusion. Organisations in the UK cannot
afford to continue treating metering as an afterthought. If we are serious about decarbonising the built environment, protecting consumers, and delivering truly smart buildings, they must utilise intelligent, experience-led metering strategies for the procurement and deployment of metering solutions. That starts with asking the right questions and bringing in the right people to answer them. ■
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