Property owners in the past could only estimate energy usage or water consumption and pass along the costs to the tenant. The practice of estimation caused a lot of conflict with tenants and submetering became the solution to this problem, giving tenants their own meters that read their individual energy and water usage.
With tenants and building owners gaining more insight and control over their energy usage through submeter readings, submetering has proven to help improve sustainability and reduce waste.
Maintaining a submeter or a submetering system as well as other water conservation devices is the landlord's or the owner's obligation. Property owners' responsibility does not end when installing submeters, it continues with their maintenance and testing – ensuring that submeters for utilities are working and recording usage accurately. In certain jurisdictions, this re-calibration and certification are regulated, while in most jurisdictions it is not. It is still extremely important that submeters be inspected periodically for compliance and verified to be in good working condition. The maximum period between verification is typically every ten years.
Optimize Energy Usage
Submeter data can help understand energy usage, which in turn allows a building manager to identify necessary equipment upgrades or strategies to optimize energy usage.
However, submeter data, whether historical or real-time, is only valuable if it’s accurate. As with any machine, submeters can malfunction when they are not regularly maintained and calibrated. For readings to be accurate and to ensure you’re not under-billing or over-billing, the submetering system also needs to be periodically checked for signs of damage, wear, and tear.
Identify Anomalies in Equipment
Networked submeters are time-savers for their ability to automate meter readings through integrated systems, particularly if the data can be stored and managed in the cloud because it can provide access to many stakeholders at any time. Manual submeters, on the other hand, need to be physically visited to retrieve readings. Faulty equipment may under bill or overcharge. In either case, it will create a problem that can be avoided by regularly monitoring consumption and having the right software to see the different consumption profiles graphically.
A reputed submetering system provider can provide additional services, either on-call or on contract. Looking for and finding anomalies in data that can alert them of potential issues in equipment. It is recommended that you or your service provider conduct an annual review. Consumption reconciliation is also recommended between the bulk meter and the addition of all the submeters along with a manual verification of every other meter, particularly if the automated reading system involves pulse output data loggers.
Save Money with Predictive Maintenance
Submeter maintenance can help you avoid unnecessary expenses, such as costs involved in sudden breakdowns. If energy-consuming equipment such as lighting and HVAC systems benefit from predictive maintenance, the same can be said for submetering systems. When you maintain and calibrate electric and water systems routinely, you ensure that they continue to provide accurate readings and don’t succumb to potentially costly repairs or replacements.
