Buying meters is the easy part of utility submetering. The projects that disappoint are the ones where the meters were chosen first and the question of how their readings reach a report was answered later. This page walks through a complete system layer by layer. For the basics of submetering itself, start at the submetering hub.
Layer 1: meters
Each meter measures one utility at one point. Choose by utility, line or conductor size, accuracy needed, and — critically — output.
- Electric: branch circuit monitors such as the Leviton S7100 48-input BCM for whole panels, or Panoramic Power PAN-14 wireless sensors for large conductors. Electric meters.
- Water: positive displacement and multi-jet meters with pulse output, or ultrasonic meters for larger lines. Water meters.
- Gas: diaphragm meters with pulse output for small loads, thermal mass for process lines. Gas meters.
- Thermal (BTU): flow plus supply and return temperature. BTU meters.
- Compressed air: clamp-on, thermal mass or inline. Compressed air flow meters.
Outputs fall into three groups: pulse (one contact closure per unit of volume or energy — simple, universal, no diagnostics), serial or network protocol (Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, BACnet — multiple values per meter plus diagnostics), and wireless (proprietary mesh or LoRaWAN). Fix the output at specification time.
Layer 2: data collection
Something on site must read every meter on a schedule, timestamp the reading and store it until it can be sent. That device is a data acquisition server, a gateway or a controller.
- Data acquisition servers such as the AcquiSuite A8810 and Leviton EMHXD poll Modbus meters, count pulses and log interval data.
- Pulse expansion such as the A8911-23 high-density pulse module adds many pulse inputs at one point, ideal for banks of water meters.
- Protocol converters such as the Milesight UC100 turn a Modbus meter into a LoRaWAN device.
- Building controllers such as the Honeywell JACE where the data also needs to reach the BMS.
Layer 3: backhaul
Backhaul is the path between the meters and the collector, and between the collector and the reporting software. It usually decides installation cost.
- Wired RS-485 or Ethernet is cheapest where meters are grouped near a riser or electrical room.
- Wireless mesh such as the ModHopper links scattered meters without new cable.
- LoRaWAN through a gateway such as the Milesight UG65 covers long distances with battery-powered devices. See LoRaWAN submetering.
- Cellular through a router such as the Cradlepoint IBR600C keeps the system off the building IT network.
Layer 4: reporting and billing
The software layer stores interval data and turns it into something people use: dashboards by tenant or system, alerts on abnormal consumption, exports to accounting, and tenant bills. Agree up front who reads the data and what decisions it supports — billing needs a fixed read date and an audit trail; operations needs alerts and interval resolution. Our Managed Intelligence page covers the reporting options we offer.
Specifying the system as a whole
Write the point list before choosing any hardware. One line per meter — location, utility, line or conductor size, required accuracy, output type and how it reaches the collector — exposes the decisions that drive cost: how many collectors are needed, where backhaul is wired and where it must be wireless, and which meters need protocol output rather than pulses. It also gives every bidder the same basis to quote against, so prices can be compared line by line. Commission against the point list, and reconcile the meter totals against the utility bill for the first billing cycle before anyone relies on the data.
Packaged systems
Pre-wired metering panels put meters, the collector and backhaul in one enclosure, such as the integrated sub-circuit panel with Bridge and PAN-12 or PAN-14 or the ultrasonic water meter integrated panel, which reduces field wiring to power and sensors.
For a residential water example of the full chain, see multifamily water submetering.
Specify a complete submetering system
Send the utilities, point count and building layout. We return a system design covering meters, collection, backhaul and reporting.