Metering helps facility staff properly manage energy use and cost, verify equipment operations, support decisions, benchmark facilities, and verify utility bills. Metering efforts and ongoing documentation of meter readings inform and help prioritize funding for recommended actions.

Advanced meters record data at daily, hourly, or minute-by-minute intervals and can transmit measured data to a remote location; standard meters measure and store cumulative usage data locally. Stand-alone meters can be installed at relatively low cost and their installation requires minor design effort. However, coordination of meters with a building automation system (BAS) is more expensive and requires greater skill for proper implementation.

Energy managers have long known the value of energy-use data. And with recent advances in energy-use metering – increased functionality at lower costs – obtaining these data in a cost-effective manner is now becoming a standard practice. Whether energy managers are trying to comply with legislated and mandated metering requirements, or looking to apply accepted building management best practices – such as utility bill verification or benchmarking – current metering technologies can provide the information needed to meet today’s metering energy goals, save money, and improve building operations (Resources: Metering Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Utility Resource Efficiency (energy.gov) ).