Emergent Metering

Pricing

Request Pricing for Your Metering Project

Metering quotes vary widely because projects do. Below is how we price work — what drives cost up, what brings it down, and the shape of a typical project — followed by a form that gets you a real number rather than a callback.

How metering is priced

A metering project is four budgets stacked together: measurement hardware, the panel or enclosure that houses it, the communications path back to a database, and the labour to install and commission it. Software, if you need it, is a fifth recurring line. Vendors who quote only the first line are the reason metering projects come in over budget.

Point count

The single biggest driver. Per-point cost falls as the project grows — engineering, submittals, and commissioning overhead spread across more meters, and hardware moves into volume pricing.

Meter type and accuracy class

An electric branch-circuit point is the cheapest measurement on most sites. Water and gas cost more because of pipe work. BTU and steam cost the most: they need paired temperature sensors, flow elements, and often pressure compensation, plus more careful installation.

CT sizing and access

Split-core CTs on accessible feeders are quick. Large-amperage feeders, Rogowski coils for tight gear, and busway or switchgear entries add both hardware and labour. If the gear must be de-energised to install, the shutdown itself becomes a cost line.

Pre-built panels vs field assembly

A pre-built, wired, and tested metering panel costs more as a purchase order line but usually reduces total installed cost: less field labour, fewer wiring errors, faster inspection. Field-assembled DIN-rail builds are cheaper up front and slower to commission.

Communications method

Wired Modbus RTU is the cheapest per point where a daisy chain is practical. Ethernet/BACnet needs network drops. LoRaWAN and cellular gateways remove conduit runs but add a gateway and, for cellular, a recurring data plan. Communications is often where retrofit budgets are won or lost.

Installation labour and conduit

On retrofits, labour and conduit frequently exceed the hardware cost. Ceiling access, core drilling, prevailing-wage rules, union labour, off-hours work, and long conduit runs all move the number. New construction is materially cheaper because runs are planned before walls close.

Commissioning and verification

Point-to-point verification, CT polarity and phasing checks, pulse scaling, and a documented as-built. Skipping this is the most common reason a metering system produces data nobody trusts.

Monitoring or analytics subscription

Ongoing software — dashboards, alarms, tenant billing exports, regulatory reporting — is priced per point or per site per year. Hardware-only projects skip it; billing and compliance projects almost always need it.

Typical project shape

Every site is different, so treat these as the shape of a project rather than a price list. Final numbers depend on the drivers above and on current hardware pricing from the manufacturer.

Project shapeWhat it usually includesWhere the money goes
Single building, electric only, 10–30 pointsBranch-circuit or panel meters, CTs, one gateway, Modbus daisy chain, commissioningHardware-dominant; labour is modest if panels are accessible
Tenant billing retrofit, mixed utilitiesElectric plus water and gas, pre-built panels, revenue-grade accuracy, billing exportsLabour, conduit, and pipe work typically rival or exceed hardware
Central plant / thermalBTU meters, paired temperature sensors, flow elements, steam vortex meters with compensationHighest per-point cost; pipe penetrations and shutdown windows drive it
Portfolio rollout, many small sitesStandardised pre-built panels, cellular or LoRaWAN backhaul, central dashboardsPer-point hardware drops; recurring connectivity and software rise
New constructionMetering designed into the electrical and mechanical packagesCheapest per point — no demolition, planned conduit, one commissioning visit

What pushes a quote up

  • Thermal, steam, and gas points instead of electric
  • Retrofits with limited access, long conduit runs, or core drilling
  • Revenue-grade accuracy and utility-billing certification
  • Off-hours work, shutdown coordination, prevailing-wage or union labour
  • One-off panel designs instead of a standard build
  • Per-point software subscriptions across many small sites

What brings a quote down

  • More points in one order and one mobilisation
  • Pre-built, tested panels that cut field labour and rework
  • Wireless backhaul where conduit would be expensive
  • Measuring what you'll act on rather than every circuit
  • Phasing the rollout: meter the big loads first, extend later
  • Specifying metering during design on new construction

Request a quote

The more of this you can fill in, the closer the first number will be. If you don't know the point count yet, give us a rough range and we'll help scope it.

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Pricing by category

Browse current hardware by measurement type — each category page lists the models we quote, with specification and selection guidance.