Electricity Sub-Meters: Tenant & Building Costs
Separate the cost of measuring electricity from installation, tenant allocation and prepaid administration. Price the complete circuit and service scope.
By addanode · Updated 6 November 2026
Separate measurement, allocation and prepayment
An electricity sub-meter can show how much a tenant, floor or piece of equipment uses. A prepaid system adds a credit and supply-control workflow. A building energy report adds comparisons, shared-load allocation and investigation. These functions can be bought together, but the meter price alone does not describe the full project.
addanode provides meter-data integration and energy reporting for commercial buildings and industrial sites. The electrical contractor confirms the meter arrangement, safe installation and applicable electrical requirements. The property or billing team confirms tenancy boundaries, tariffs and the treatment of shared loads. This division lets the buyer compare a metering-only installation with a wider reporting or billing integration.
What exactly are you sub-metering?
Begin with a single-line diagram and a list of the circuits that each tenant or operation actually uses. Note shared cooling, lifts, pumps, common lighting and any embedded generation. A tenant's floor area and its electrical boundary may not be the same. Establish which loads can be measured directly and which need an agreed allocation rule before ordering meters.
Keep the main supply record with the sub-meter readings. Compare the same time period and identify known unmetered loads before investigating a difference. Distributing every difference across tenants can conceal a mapping error or a missing circuit. The building sub-metering and billing worksheet keeps measured quantities, allocations and corrections distinguishable.
Meter choices that change the quotation
| Decision | Why it affects cost | Information to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Single or three phase | Meter arrangement and installation differ | Supply and circuit details from the electrical drawing |
| Direct connected or current transformers | CT selection, wiring and installation add work | Load range, existing CTs and enclosure space |
| Reading only or prepaid control | Credit management and authorised supply control add a service | Who manages accounts, top-ups, exceptions and complaints |
| Local display or remote data | Interfaces, gateway and continuing access may be separate | Meter model, output specification and required reporting interval |
| Operational analysis or billing | Applicable approvals, contracts and records need separate consideration | Intended use and the responsible billing or professional team |
Request the exact product and configuration. Two meters with a similar front panel can have different outputs or firmware. A protocol name on a quotation does not establish which register contains imported energy, how it is scaled or whether export is available. Obtain the register map or a representative authorised data file before pricing the integration.
How much does an electricity sub-meter project cost?
Separate the hardware price from electrical installation, communications, reporting and ongoing administration. Installation can include enclosure work, CTs, wiring, shutdown access, labelling and testing. Remote reporting can add a gateway, site network work, data mapping and a subscription. A prepaid service can add vending charges, account administration and procedures for failed or disputed transactions.
A dated prepaid electricity price example
Checked on 6 November 2026: Enbaya listed its Hexing HXP100DI single-phase split prepaid electricity submeter at ZAR 1,035. This is a supplier product price, not an installed addanode project quote. VAT treatment was not explicit in the captured product price; confirm it alongside electrician labour, accessories, vending or administration fees and the service agreement. It does not establish suitability for every commercial building circuit.
For a first building project, price one incoming supply and a small group of important sub-circuits. For a whole building, add all required tenant and shared loads. For a portfolio, account for site access, different meter suppliers and common reporting. Shared configuration can reduce repeated work, but each property's physical installation still has to be established.
Use a bill period that can be reproduced
A hypothetical register rising from 12,340 kWh to 12,615 kWh records a difference of 275 kWh over that interval. That quantity does not determine the bill by itself. The applicable tariff, fixed charges, taxes, time bands and approved allocations determine the financial calculation. Keep the original start and end readings with any subsequent correction.
Current-transformer ratios and meter multipliers require particular attention. Confirm whether the displayed register already includes the ratio before applying another multiplier in software. A technically neat dashboard can reproduce an incorrect configuration very consistently. During handover, use independent meter information and a complete period to check both the quantity and the report.
What changes with prepaid tenants?
Establish who receives money, issues credit and deals with reversals. Record how the system handles a payment that succeeds while a device is offline, a credit update that is retried, and a tenant change. The property manager needs an auditable route for complaints and corrections, supported by the contract and actual service arrangement.
Ask about future supplier changes before signing. Can the authorised owner export balances, transactions and meter history? Which parts depend on the service provider? What happens to reading access and support when a subscription ends? These are commercial access questions as well as technical integration questions.
Connect energy readings to a useful operating decision
A facilities team may first need to find overnight consumption or compare HVAC operation with occupancy. Finance may need a reproducible allocation. A factory may need electricity per unit of production with a valid product denominator. State the first decision and the responsible user, so the initial scope does not include every possible report by default.
See electricity sub-metering for commercial buildings for the building project, industrial energy sub-metering for production-linked analysis, and the BMS retrofit cost worksheet for existing plant interfaces. Operational energy data can support an EPC evidence pack; the responsible assessment and certificate process remains a distinct service.
Prepare the quotation package
Send the electrical drawing, meter and CT photographs, circuit list, a recent bill and the required reporting period. Identify installation windows, tenant access constraints and the electrician or controls contractor already involved. Add a sample export if readings exist in a vendor platform. A clear package lets suppliers explain the assumptions behind their price and identify the site work still to be surveyed.
Frequently asked questions
Is prepaid metering the same as remote reading?
Remote reading retrieves measurements. Prepayment adds credit and supply-management functions, together with account administration and exception handling. Compare those services as separate parts of the purchase.
Can an operational reading automatically become a tenant bill?
The quantity must be used under the applicable metering, contract and billing arrangements. Keep measured energy, shared allocations, tariff versions and corrections identifiable.
What needs to be included beyond the meter?
Electrical access and installation, CTs where required, enclosure work, communications, platform integration and recurring service. The quotation should state tax, contractor work and assumptions.
Bring the equipment and the decision you need to make
Send the site details, existing records and the first scope you want to price. We can identify equipment, integration and installation inputs for a proposal.
Discuss the project