Sub-metering: Measuring, Managing, Saving
Part 1: Load Profiling: Use Sub-Meters, Data-Collection Systems
Part 2: Sub-Meter Maintenance Includes Commissioning, Preventive Tasks
Sub-Meter Maintenance Includes Commissioning, Preventive Tasks
By Doug Everhart, P.E., Craig Lanham, P.E. - January 2011 - Energy Efficiency
To ensure effective installation, managers also can properly maintain the sub-meters by implementing initial commissioning and preventive maintenance plans.
Technicians should check communication gateways and networking to ensure each control wire in the system functions and interacts within the system properly. For new projects or retrofits, employ a commissioning agent for quality control and to ensure building meters and metered systems are designed, installed and calibrated to operate as intended. The unit should deliver data managers and technicians can access easily, possibly via the Internet or another web-based platform.
Sub-Metering on the Rise
Sub-metering technology is gaining steam in education facilities, and federal government projects are mandating the technology. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 contains an amended section, Energy Use Measurement and Accountability, which mandates by Oct. 1, 2012, the use of advanced metering devices that collect data hourly and transfer it daily as a way to reduce the cost of electricity in federal buildings.
The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction rating system and ASHRAE Standard 189 also require advanced sub-metering and management of metered data. These mandates, although still in the early stages, are a good indicator of the way the technology is moving.
Doug Everhart, P.E., LEED AP, is an associate with Henderson Engineers Inc., which provides mechanical, electrical and plumbing design services nationwide. Craig Lanham, P.E., is the firm's vice president and director of electrical engineering.
