SUBMETERS: How Green Contractors Can Go Beyond Lighting! Article supplied by E-Mon LLC Electric submeters and automatic meter reading (AMR) software provide a total energy profile that can help building owners and operators shave significant dollars off their operating budgets while also providing a profitable revenue stream for the installing contractor. Getting smart about green buildings is one way that contractors can differentiate themselves from the other guy, increase sales, and add real value for their customers. As word gets out that a contractor is green savvy, that firm becomes the go-to guy for green building advice and new equipment installations. Retrofitting energy-efficient T8 lighting, for example, is a natural entry point. But where do you go from there? How about recommending submeters for extra points toward that LEED facility rating or energy credit which makes sense for the end-user and dollars for you, the contractor. What submeters do As meters with monitoring capability, submeters are installed on the facility side of the master utility meter to track the energy consumption (kwh) and demand (kw) of specific departments, tenants or items of equipment all the way down to a single circuit. As a highly accurate and scalable way to gauge actual power consumption, electric submeters offer an extremely cost-effective way to fairly and accurately determine energy use with a level of granularity unmatched by the master utility meter at the main electrical service entrance. The submeter s scrolling display allows facility personnel to instantly verify that each building is operating within normal parameters and its profiling capability provides energy data displayed by the building automation system s energy monitoring and analysis software. Continued on page 58 56 C A P I T A L N O W capitallighting.com
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Continued from page 56 Typical applications include: Usage analysis and peak demand identification; Time-of-use metering of electricity, gas, water, steam, BTUs and other energy sources; Cost allocation for tenant billing; Measurement, verification and benchmarking for energy initiatives, including LEED Energy & Atmosphere (EA) and Water Efficiency (WE) credits; Load comparisons; Threshold alarming and notification; and Multi-site load aggregation and real-time historical monitoring of energy consumption patterns for negotiating lower energy rates. Green meters for green ratings It is common knowledge that green facilities cut costs by operating more efficiently. That s why E-Mon and other suppliers designed advanced, green friendly hardware and software LEED Certification Category LEED Points & Submetering Credit Certification Points Core & Shell EA Credit 5.1 1 Core & Shell EA Credit 5.2 1 Existing Buildings WE Credit 1.2 1 Applicable Guideline Measurement & Verification Base Building Measurement & Verification Tenant Submetering Water Performance Measurement: Submetering Existing Buildings EA Credit 3.2 1 Building Operations & Maint. Existing Buildings EA Credit 3.3 1 Building Operations & Maint. Existing Buildings EA Credit 5.1-5.3 1-3 Existing Buildings EA Credit 6 1 Performance Measurement: Enhanced Metering Documenting Sustainable Building Cost New Construction EA Prerequisite 2 - Minimum Energy Performance New Construction EA Credit 5 1 Measurement & Verification Commercial Interiors EA Credit 1 1 Optimize Energy Performance Commercial Interiors EA Credit 3 1-2 Energy Use, Measurement & Payment Accountability Schools EA Credit 5 1 Measurement & Verification Healthcare WE Credit 2 1 Potable Water Use Reduction: Measurement & Verification Healthcare EA Credit 1 2-10 Optimize Energy Performance Healthcare EA Credit 5 1 Measurement & Verification Source: E-Mon, LLC tools to specifically meet today s sustainable facility needs by providing: Scrolling LCD display of kilowatt (kwh) usage; kwh display in dollars; Current demand load (kw); Cost per hour, based on current load; Estimated carbon dioxide emissions in pounds, based on DoE standards; 2 Estimated hourly CO emissions based on current load; and Net metering, including utilitydelivered vs. user-received power and net usage. Submeters acquire the energy data using 0-2V output split-core current sensors that are installed non-invasively around the electrical feeds being metered. This eliminates having to power down the load and makes for a safer, faster install. At the enterprise level, submeters can help property managers monitor and control energy costs as participants in conservation programs like demand response (offered by many utilities) and the U.S. Green Building Council s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Continued on page 60 58 C A P I T A L N O W capitallighting.com For more information circle #59 on the reader service card.
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Continued from page 58 Submeters can also help facilities personnel measure and verify compliance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) in sections 103 (meter mandate), 1251 (net metering) and 1331 ($1.80/sq ft tax credit). Case Study: A Five-Month Payback! Submeters contribute directly toward points under several LEED green building certification categories (see table, page 58). Any energy initiative that requires measurement and verification of program guidelines and they all do is a good chance for a contractor to start a discussion about submetering. You can t manage what you don t measure still works today The bottom line The public and private-sector facility landscape is changing rapidly, driven by economic challenges and the need to save energy and cut operating costs. Savvy contractors will see in the bewildering array of new energy initiatives opportunities for selling and installing the equipment that will help their customer meet the new requirements. Submeters are a perfect example of core equipment needed for the application. The old energy adage is you can t manage what you don t measure. It s even more applicable in today s energyconscious facility environment. What s more, that old adage still works today as an extremely effective dooropener for any submetering sales pitch to your valued customer. n Phoenix Plaza s submetering system helped facility managers realize $200,000 in annual energy savings, resulting in a submetering system payback of only five months. An electrical submetering system at Phoenix Plaza (in Arizona) is helping building managers more accurately track and bill energy use in this 21-story twin tower office complex. Housing 34 lease tenants, a retail center, and a parking garage, the submetering project was driven by the need to more fairly bill the tenants who typically paid for energy according to a flat cost-per-square-foot rate. Tenants that exceeded their energy baseline caused the cost differential to be unfairly distributed to other tenants. Some computer-intensive tenants routinely exceeded their allotted energy use through extended business hours or by having more people or equipment than was recommended for the lease space. Data from 80 E-Mon D-Mon submeters is communicated to the facility manager s PC, where automatic meter reading software analyzes the data and prepares the monthly billing statements for each tenant. All the money we recover goes into a kitty, operating costs go down and the other tenants benefit, said Phoenix Plaza s assistant chief engineer. People who are using the power are paying for it now. It s not being spread equally among everybody, which is fairer to the little guy. Phoenix Plaza s submetering installation cost $75,000 and paid for itself in five months! By billing tenants for their actual energy use, managers were able to reduce operating costs by about 25 cents per square foot. With about 800,000 square feet of submetered office space in the two towers, annual energy savings of about $200,000 are now freeing managers to focus their time on other areas, including capital repairs and improvements. As an interesting side note, energy managers have noticed that tenants are more energy-conscious since the submetering began, a welcome trend that could lead to even greater savings. 60 C A P I T A L N O W capitallighting.com
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