Electric metering is especially important to verify energy savings from energy efficiency projects such as lighting, veriable speed drives, new chillers, etc.
Oil metering is generally more complicated than gas metering. Both are important to do right with accurate and reliable meters.
Steam metering is very difficult to do accurately especially in buildings with large load changes. Steam metering works better in industrial applications when the loads are often easier to control.
More accurate methods of measuring steam in buildings is measuring the condensate that forms after the steam condenses before it is pumped back to the boiler.
Water and sewer rates are rising dramatically everywhere. The cost of water and sewer is higher than heating costs for some building owners. Metering water use makes sense.
BTU’s are calculated by multiplying the temperature difference (ƒ¢T) between the supply and return lines by the flow rate (gpm) through these lines.
How can you prioritize your energy and water efficiency investments, if you don’t know how energy and water is used? The technology for metering is evolving quickly as energy and water prices rise. The Europeans have been way out in front of the United States in measuring energy and water use and are much more efficient about how they use energy and water. The European move to higher efficiency has also been driven by much higher energy and water prices. The energy and water prices have made significant jumps United States and are expected to move higher. Energy and water efficiency or investments in conservation are some of the best investments a building owner and facility manager can make with 15% to over 100% return on investments (ROI) realized. Where else can you get that kind of return these days? Investing in energy efficiency provides the financial gift that keeps on giving, and at the same time reduces pollution and lower greenhouse gases.
Metering enables you to prioritize your energy efficiency investment and then monitor and verify you are getting the financial returns claimed by efficiency vendors.
Building owners with a central heating and/or cooling system generally include the cost of utilities with the rent. Unfortunately, tenants tend to take advantage of the perceived “free” utilities. BTU meters enable the building owner to pass through the energy costs to the tenants, while enabling the tenants to get credit for energy efficiency efforts. Studies have shown that energy costs in centrally heated and cooled apartments can be reduced by as much as 40% when the tenants pay for their own utilities. The tenants also benefit from lower utility costs because the rate for a centrally heated or cooled apartment building is much less than an individually metered apartment building.
BTU meters can also be used with tenants in commercial buildings as well.
BTU meters can be used to bill specific costs areas of a particular process and better track operating costs as well as production performance.
Conservation Solutions Corporation will provide turnkey metering services. Our services include on-site analysis of the best way to meter your building or facility depending on you objectives. Some of those objectives may include sub-metering or billing tenants, measuring energy use by division, or zones or measuring the performance of individual pieces of equipment. We can also work with you to determine the best way to monitor and track energy use either manual reading, digital read outs that can be connected to a computer. We can also work with you on energy or water use reporting methodologies. Finally, Conservation Solutions Corporation can work with you on billing for energy or water use is an opportunity to increase energy and water efficiency use, because the economic onus is transferred to the user to reduce consumption and be efficient about their energy and water use.