Why Checkmeter/Submeter Commercial/Office Buildings?
As energy costs continue to skyrocket, facility managers and tenants alike are looking for ways to reduce their bottom line energy costs. These are just a few ways checkmetering & submetering are used in commercial office buildings:
Leased Spaces
No two tenants use energy the same way. One may be a small office with lighting and a telephone while their neighbor is a software company with computers, servers and special air conditioning equipment. Building owners are now able to install checkmeters to monitor each tenant individually and generate energy statements based on their actual usage. This increases tenant satisfaction because they know they are only accountable for the energy they use, while the building managers benefit from recovering all tenant energy costs.
Common Area Management
Elevators, HVAC, parking lot lighting and common area lighting all have an effect on a building's overall energy budget. Building owners have often struggled with accurate management of common area costs. Metering these areas provide owners with the data they need to gain insight on common area energy usage allowing for accurate allocation of costs to tenants.
Monitor After-Hours Energy Usage
Are your tenants working overtime? Many businesses operate longer than the standard 9-5 workday. To better manage after-hours energy usage, businesses utilize meters to record energy used over and above the lease allotment. This allows energy costs to be allocated back to specific departments or users for overtime usage.
Departmental Allocation
Within A Leased Space Building owners and managers are not the only ones interested in monitoring energy usage. Tenants within a building may have multiple departments within their leased space such as manufacturing, testing, administration, IT and accounting. Monitoring energy usage for individual departments allow the tenant to allocate energy costs to specific departments within their own business, ensuring accurate budgeting and increased energy efficiency.
Equipment Maintenance Programs
As the cost of doing business increases and budgets are more constrained, it is more important than ever to avoid costly equipment replacement. Submeters can be installed on key pieces of equipment to identify potential equipment failures. This allows facility managers to take steps to schedule repairs before equipment fails, thus avoiding costly and unexpected downtimes.