Submetering and Energy Management

Many Water Districts and Utility Companies offer rebates for installing submeters and systems. When you decide to submeter a property have your on-site manager call the utility to see what may be available and wether the property meets the rebate criteria.. Some current examples are East Bay Municipal Water District which covers Oakland and surrounding cities is offering submeter rebates up to $250.00. Hawaii Energy is offering $150.00 per unit for installing electric submeters. Santa Clara Water District’s rebate is $150.00. Denver water is offering $40.00. It only takes a few minutes to check and the savings can be substantial.

1. Customers are five times more likely to leave because of poor service than for product quality or cost.
2. 68% of customers stop doing business if they receive poor service.
3. Customers who receive poor service tell 9 to 20 other people.
4. Losing a customer costs five times the annual value of the customer account.
5. The average happy customer tells five other people of their experience.
6. 50 to 75% of customers who have their complaints solved return to buy again.
7. If the complaint is solved very quickly, 95% of customers return.

The Alliance for Water Efficencty offers a good introduction to Submetering. Here is a link to their website: http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/submetering.aspx

The National Science and Technology Council has issued a study on submetering that is well worth reading. The study can be downloaded with this link:  http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/buildingtechnology/documents/SubmeteringEnergyWaterUsageOct2011.pdf

Point of Use (POU) meters are designed to provide a submetering solution for those properties that cannot be submetered by conventional submeters due to plumbing designs that bring multiple pipes into the apartment or office ( stacked risers). The meters were specifically designed for stacked riser plumbing configurations typically found in properties that utilize a central boiler to provide hot water.
In a typical installation very small flow meters are installed inconspicuously on each hot & cold outlet to the shower/tub, toilet, sink, dish washer and clothes washer. Depending on the manufacturer the flow meters either have a transmitter built in or are connected to an interface board/ transmitter. The transmitters report usage information to a central Processing computer that in turn forwards the usage information to a billing center where bills can be printed and sent to the end user.
Equipment and installation costs are typically higher that traditional systems but the payback is still usually less than a year. When deciding on a POU meter, a principal consideration should be that the meters can be read by any Automated Reading System (AMR). This allows the property owner to choose between many billing companies and does not tie the owner to equipment that can only be read by a few companies.
Submetering has been proven by numerous studies to reduce usage by as much as 39%. Although POU meters have been available for over ten years they have not been widely used until recently. With the current interest in green solutions and the ever rising water and sewer costs properties that in the past could not be traditionally metered are now installing POU meters and benefitting from the same type of usage reductions that properties with conventional plumbing have realized for years. Since roughly 50% of apartments and 90% of office buildings utilize stacked riser plumbing the benefits of submetering with POU meters have barely been touched.

I came across this article from Kym McNicolas at Forbes.com and thought I would share it.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/5-energy-saving-myths-2595913

By Kym McNicolas, Forbes.com

What you didn’t know about energy efficiency could hurt your pocketbook.

Myth #1: Closing the Vent Saves Energy

Though it seems that closing vents in unused rooms would save energy, the energy consumed by the system is at the unit itself, and restricting conditioned air at a vent termination redirects it to other locations in the house or through leaks in your duct system. Closing vents also puts backpressure on the fan that pushes the air through the system, causing it to work harder, use more energy, and wear out faster.

Myth #2: New Windows = Significant Energy Cost Savings

Replacing single-pane windows for Energy-Star rated dual-pane windows will save energy. That energy savings, however, is a function of the size and number of windows in your home, their orientation and overhangs, and the location of your house and the climate zone you are live in. This typically amounts to a small fraction of your total energy use, and given the expense of replacing windows, there are typically much more cost-effective ways to reduce your energy bills.

Myth #3: Setting Thermostat Higher Heats a Home Faster

A furnace will provide heat at its max power (or a fraction of max power for multi-stage units) when it is first turned on. So, setting the temperature higher will have little effect in how quickly a home heats. Setting the thermostat higher does have the potential to increase the run-time of the heating system, using more energy and potentially making your home uncomfortably hot.

Myth #4: Using an Electric Space Heater Saves Money

Given that electricity is typically between four and 10 times the cost of natural gas, running just two electric space heaters can cost the equivalent of heating an entire home with a gas-powered system.

Myth #5: Leaving a Light on Uses Less Energy Than Turning It Off, Then on Again

Some people actually believe that if leaving the light on when they leave the room for a few minutes to take a restroom break, for example, is better than turning it off and then on again when they return. There is no significant additional power draw when turning on a light bulb (other than the calories you use by flipping the switch). So, turn off the lights each time you leave a room, even if for just a couple of minutes.

Unlike a traditional meter, allocation equipment does not measure the actual volume of gas, propane or oil used. Energy Allocation Equipment determines gas, propane or oil usage by determining the run time (furnaces, fireplaces, hot water heaters) or run time and temperature (boiler/chiller, boiler baseboard systems). This in turn allows for a reasonably accurate estimate of usage.

Gas – Furnaces

A sensor board is installed at each furnace and/or fireplace to be metered. The sensor board detects the operation time of the gas valve. Gas flow time is collected and measured in 100ths of hours. The sensors usually also provide tamper and meter error detection. The sensors are connected to wireless transmitters, typically in the device itself or installed on a nearby wall. As required, Repeaters are installed throughout the community to receive signals from the transmitters, verify them, and amplify the signal to peak power, for transmission to the receiver. The Receiver and Central Unit, typically installed in the clubhouse, decodes transmissions from the receiver and stores the meter readings for retrieval by the billing company provider. The readings (time that the gas valve is open) are multiplied by the BTU /hour specification of the furnace and/or fireplace to determine the relative amount of gas (in 100 cubic feet = CCF) that has flowed through the gas valve.

Fireplaces

A sensor board is typically installed adjacent to the fireplace wall switch. Sensor wires connected to the fireplace switch read open/closed conditions for the fireplace unit. Times are then transmitted via the on board transmitters through repeaters to the receiver and Central Unit. The Receiver and Central Unit, typically are installed in the clubhouse. The CU decodes transmissions from the receiver and stores the readings for retrieval by the billing company. Gas calculations are derived by combining the run times with the fireplace unit BTU values to arrive at CCF figures.

Domestic Hot Water Heaters

The sensor board is installed adjacent to the hot water heater. An A U.L. listed pressure switch is installed at the hot water heater gas valve. Sensor wires are attached to the pressure switch to read on time for the gas valve. On time data is transmitted via the on board transmitter, repeaters, receiver and to the Central Unit. The Receiver and Central Unit, typically installed in the clubhouse, decodes transmissions from the receiver and stores the meter readings for retrieval by the billing company. Total consumption is figured on an equation using the BTU capacity of the gas valve and the run time to deliver a relative CCF figure.

Boiler/Chiller

A sensor board is installed adjacent to the fancoil unit in each apartment unit. A pair of sensor wires are attached to the zone valve wiring or the van motor to capture run time of either device. A temperature sensor can be installed to capture the temperature of the incoming water. Degree/time data is then transmitted via the on board transmitter, to the Central Unit and received and stored for billing use. Degree data is combined with BTU specifications for the unit and relative gas, propane or oil consumption is determined for the unit in CCF (100 Cu Ft). When chiller operates, electricity consumed to run chiller is allocated based on run time and inlet water temperature (if included) figures to arrive at a relative figure for electricity used to cool apartment unit.

Baseboard Radiation

A temperature sensor is installed on a baseboard radiator. The sensor will activate once the baseboard temperature exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit (to a maximum temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit), indicating that heat is being delivered, and provides the billing company with temperature readings. In addition, the 24 volt zone valve operation time is monitored. The sensors usually also provide tamper and error detection. The sensors are connected to wireless transmitters, typically installed on a nearby wall. As required, Repeaters are installed throughout the community to receive signals from the transmitters, verify them, and amplify the signal to peak power, for transmission to the receiver. The Receiver and Central Unit, typically installed in the clubhouse, decodes transmissions from the receiver and stores the meter readings for retrieval by the billing c ompany. The readings indicate the number of “degree hours” (time adjusted by temperature) that heat was delivered to each apartment each month. The degree hours are multiplied by the linear feet of the baseboard and by the BTU factor of the heating system, and divided by 100,000, to determine the relative amount of gas, propane or oil used (in 100 cubic feet = CCF).

Submetering permits the measurement of utility use in individual apartments via a building-owned meter that is installed for each apartment. The building continues to purchase its utility on the less expensive commercial or bulk residential rate basis, but now the owner is able to bill a utility to individual apartments on an actual consumption basis. The relationship between the building and the utility remains exactly the same as before. The building continues to receive one bill from the utility and the owner allocates the utility costs based on the usage recorded by the apartment submeters.

The submeters are owned by the building and not the utility. Residents are billed by the owner through its manager or designated vendor. Current submetering technology facilitates reading of the submeters without apartment entry. Available software systems enable automated billing procedures. The owner continues to be responsible for the remaining portion of the utility bill that covers the building’s common areas.

Submetering in master-metered buildings is unlike virtually any other energy conservation measure that can be undertaken by a building owner. When a building undergoes a typical energy conservation measure (installation of a new boiler, etc.), the owner reaps the benefit of lower energy costs. Submetering, as an energy conservation measure, is qualitatively different in two respects. First, it will result in lower utility consumption only to the extent that individual residents decide to reduce consumption. Second, the financial savings flowing from the reduced consumption directly benefit the residents who conserve. Experience shows that the change from master-metering to submetering typically reduces the consumption of a utility in apartments by 15-40%.

This report was put out by the Council of State Governments a few years ago. While it is somewhat dated it still makes interesting reading. http://www.csg.org/knowledgecenter/docs/TA0307WaterWars.pdf

To bring home just how important water conservation is, everyone should read a report put out by the Dept of Interior called Water Wars 2025. It is a sobering report http://biodiversity.ca.gov/Meetings/archive/water03/water2025.pdf