A Guide on Sub Metering: What are the Top 5 Electric Sub Meter types?

Have you ever witnessed a situation where your electricity bill came way higher than your usual power consumption? If yes, you must be aware of the stress it brings.

Your electricity bill provides you with the total electric unit consumption in a month. However, it does not help in determining your daily power utilisation. 

This prevents you from setting an average daily power requirement for your house.

So how do you find an effective solution for this problem? An electric sub meter is the answer!

Submeter is a smart invention that helps you manage your electricity utility on a daily basis. Let’s understand the function and applications of an electric sub meter and what is the electric sub meter price. 

What is an Electric Sub Meter?

An electric sub meter is a device that tracks and measures the electric consumption of a building. You need to connect it to the utility meter to get the details of the power usage of one or multiple electric loads.

Now you must be thinking about the maximum load for which it provides reading. Don’t You?

Well, you can use it for a maximum of 1,500  volts DC and 1,000 volts AC.

If you own a large building and residential complex, installing an electric sub meter is crucial to managing and optimising power efficiency. 

In addition, it is also helpful in determining unnecessary energy consumption so that you can take corrective measures.

Applications of Electric Sub Meter

Now that you know what an electric sub meter is, let’s take a look at the common applications of this equipment.

1. Tenant Electric Bill

Generally, the tenants pay an electric bill according to the square foot of their rented space. 

If multiple tenants share a single submeter, it can result in a dispute because one tenant might need to pay the price for someone else’s electricity consumption.

Installing a submeter for every rented property provides an accurate reading of the electricity consumption. This way, the tenants only bear the cost of their personal power usage.

2. Usage of Power during Off-Peak Period

Utility companies generally charge a higher rate for each unit during the peak hour of the day. 

This hour is determined by the time when people usually run most electrical appliances in their house. The reason behind the increased rate is to prevent damage to the grid due to high load. 

The application of an electric sub meter helps people know the peak hours so that they can shift their consumption to off-peak periods. 

This is vital not only for reducing electric bills but also for keeping the grid safe from overloading dangers.

3. Energy Allocation

The increasing cost of electricity requires proper monitoring to evaluate the area or equipment that uses maximum power in a house. 

Similarly, in large buildings, it is necessary to determine the section or department that uses maximum power so that cost allocation can be done.

Submetering is an efficient method of determining the unit of energy used by every house owner. This process helps in taking corrective measures to reduce unnecessary power usage.

Reasons to Use an Electric Sub Meter?

From the above points, it is clear that an electric sub meter is a necessity in all buildings that use electricity. But why exactly do you need to install it?

Following are the reasons for using an electric sub meter:

• It provides information about your personal power consumption without the need to do complex mathematical calculations. Therefore, you can conveniently determine the unit for which you make payment.

• It helps allocate energy costs to different departments, which increases accountability. By exercising this practice, the manager can save a large amount of money wasted on unnecessary energy usage.

• The accurate positioning of the submeter on the circuit helps the energy managers measure the performance and efficiency of the appliances.

• Submetering provides an early assessment of the problems with a circuit or appliance by monitoring the energy consumption. This is crucial for preventing various hazardous accidents. 

• Since submetering determines the points of high power usage, it becomes convenient to save energy. 

List of Top 5 Electric Sub Meter types

There are various manufacturers of sub-meters. Most people face challenges in selecting the best brand. 

To save your effort and time, here is a list of the top 5 electric sub-meters with their specifications.

1. Genus 1-Phase Electric Energy LCD Sub Meter 

This is a single-phase meter with two wire connections. It comes with tamper-proof technology that prevents the cutting of wire due to bending. This submeter is made with class 1 premium quality copper, and it has the following properties:

• It operates at 240V power.
• Tested for proper starting current.
• It offers zero error reading.
• It is tested for appropriate power consumption.

2. ELYZIA SINGLE PHASE 2 Wire 10-40 A Electronic Energy KWH Meter LCD DISPLAY

This single-phase sub-meter is suitable for monitoring and measuring electric current in a 1 phase environment. You can use it for both indoor and outdoor purposes. 

This sub-meter has the following properties:

• Clear LCD for unit measurement.
• It is tested for insulation resistance.
• Optimum performance in high voltage.

3. Indotech Electronic Energy Sub Meter AC Single Phase 2-Wire Static kWh

This single-phase sub-meter with two wire connections has a large digital display for unit measurement. It has the following features:

• 50 Hz frequency
• Current rating of 10-40 Amps
• Optimum performance at -22 to 55-degree celsius.

4. Litost Larsen & Toubro – L&T Single Phase Energy Sub Meter 

This sub-meter is suitable for single-phase connections. Its most significant properties are:

• Accommodates current uses from minor to heavy electrical equipment.
• It is applicable for appliances that run on 240 V.

5. SM Enterprices Single Phase Counter Sub Meter

This is a static type sub-meter suitable for single-phase connections. Its salient features include the following:

• Strong structure of poly-carbonate.
• It consumes low power during operation.
• It is useful for commercial, residential, as well as industrial buildings.

Conclusion 

Sub-meters are essential equipment for monitoring the power consumption of a building. 

They also help in controlling excess power consumption during peak hours. Therefore, if you are facing any problem with your electricity bill, consider installing a sub meter.

You can select any of the meters listed above by checking the electric sub meter price and the features to suit your requirements.

Whatever the electric sub meter price is, if you buy the right one, it’s worth every penny.

FAQs

Q. Can I install different sub-meters for all the tenants of my residential property?

Yes, you can install individual sub-meters for each tenant. This helps in knowing their electricity consumption and taking corrective measures to reduce the load on the main circuit.

Q. What is the maximum AC and DC load reading a sub-meter can provide?

A sub-meter can provide a maximum DC load reading of 1500 volts and AC load reading of 1000 volts.

Q. Can a submeter help in reducing grid load?

The sub-meter provides reading for power consumption. Therefore, people can figure out the peak hours of the day when the grid company charges a high cost per unit. 

During this time, consumers can reduce their power consumption to save the grid from bursting due to overload.