Emergent Team·June 6, 2026·5 min read

The 2021 IECC required monitoring of non-electrical energy sources at the whole-building level. The 2024 IECC, through new Section C405.13.7, goes dramatically further: it now requires end-use submetering for every significant non-electrical load in the building—boilers, chillers, furnaces, district heating and cooling, fuel-fired water heaters, swimming pools, spas, gas lighting, and snow-melt systems. This is a new requirement that did not exist in any previous edition of the code, and most engineers have not yet encountered it. This post explains what C405.13.7 requires and how to comply with it.

What C405.13.7 Actually Says

Section C405.13.7 of the 2024 IECC requires submetering for non-electrical end-uses in all buildings subject to energy monitoring (10,000 sqft and above). Table C405.13.8 lists the required end-use categories: heating and cooling systems (including but not limited to boilers, chillers, and furnaces), district heating and cooling energy, fuel-fired service water heating, process loads, and other miscellaneous loads such as fireplaces, swimming pools, spas, gas lighting, and snow-melt systems.

This is a fundamental expansion from the 2021 IECC, which required only that non-electrical energy sources be metered at the building level (whole-building gas meter, whole-building steam meter). The 2024 edition requires disaggregation by end use—meaning you need to know how much gas the boiler consumed separately from how much the kitchen consumed, how much thermal energy the chiller delivered separately from the domestic hot water system, and how much gas the pool heater consumed separately from the snow-melt system.

Metering Equipment for Each Non-Electrical End Use

Gas-Fired Heating (Boilers, Furnaces, Unit Heaters)

Each gas-fired heating appliance or group of appliances serving a single end use requires its own gas submeter. Sierra Instruments BoilerTrak 620S thermal mass meters ($2,500–$3,000) provide direct mass flow measurement with no moving parts. Sage Metering Model 51 insertion meters ($3,500) serve larger gas mains. Both provide pulse and Modbus output for PowerRadar integration. For buildings with multiple gas-fired unit heaters (common in warehouses), a single gas meter on the shared gas header serving all unit heaters captures the aggregate heating gas consumption.

Gas-Fired Service Water Heating

Gas-fired water heaters require a dedicated gas submeter separate from the space heating meter. In buildings where space heating and domestic hot water share a common boiler, the distinction is made by metering the DHW recirculation loop with an EES-301 BTU meter ($3,000–$3,100) to determine the thermal energy delivered to the DHW system.

Chilled Water and Heating Water (District or Central Plant)

Buildings served by district cooling or district heating, or with central chilled water and hot water plants, require BTU meters on each distribution loop serving a distinct end use. EES-301 and EES-401 ultrasonic BTU meters provide clamp-on, non-invasive installation. For central plants, a BTU meter on the chiller's evaporator loop measures cooling energy delivered, while a BTU meter on the boiler's primary loop measures heating energy produced.

Swimming Pools, Spas, and Snow-Melt

Pool and spa heating (whether gas-fired or heat pump) and snow-melt systems are explicitly called out in Table C405.13.8 as end uses requiring separate metering. Gas-fired pool heaters require a dedicated gas submeter. Electric heat pump pool heaters are captured by PAN-42 or PAN-12 sensors on their electrical circuits. Snow-melt systems require metering of either the gas fuel or the electric element circuits depending on the system type.

Integration into the Unified PowerRadar Front End

All non-electrical meters connect to PowerRadar through the same integration pathways as electrical sensors: Modbus or pulse connections to the Gen 4+ Bridge, Obvius/Leviton AcquiSuite, or Honeywell JACE controller. PowerRadar's device group feature creates non-electrical end-use categories that map directly to Table C405.13.8: Gas Heating, Gas DHW, Chilled Water Cooling, Pool/Spa Heating, Snow-Melt, and Process Gas. The Energy Flow (Sankey) diagram displays both electrical and non-electrical energy streams in a single visualization, providing the comprehensive building energy picture that the 2024 IECC envisions.

Need help specifying non-electrical submetering for a 2024 IECC project? Contact Emergent Metering at 215-645-7141. We carry gas meters, BTU meters, steam meters, and water meters that integrate seamlessly into the PowerRadar unified front end.

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Emergent Metering Solutions provides commercial and industrial metering hardware, installation support, and energy analytics services. We specialize in electric meters, water meters, BTU meters, compressed air meters, gas meters, and steam meters with Modbus RTU, BACnet IP, pulse output, and wireless communication options. Our Managed Intelligence services deliver automated reporting, anomaly detection, tenant billing, and AI-powered consumption forecasting. We support compliance with IECC 2021, ASHRAE 90.1-2022, NYC Local Law 97, Boston BERDO 2.0, DC BEPS, California LCFS, and EU CSRD requirements.

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