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Sub-metering
is the measurement and billing of electric use in individual apartment units in
a master-metered multi-family building.
Sub-metering
achieves its savings because residents reduce their own consumption in order to
re-duce their individual electric costs. Unlike other conservation or load
management measures, such as energy management systems, which may force
conservation by outside control, sub-metering savings are the result of a
purely voluntary decision by the resident electricity users. Thus, residents
who choose to maintain a wasteful energy use pattern can do so, but will pay
for this choice.
"Users of Electricity
will vote for sub-metering, abusers will vote against it."
Charles Rappaport (dec.) - former
Carlyle Towers Representative and President of Federation of New York Housing
Cooperatives
Because
residents are now paying for what they use, they tend to become more aware of
their electricity use and, in turn, the monetary benefit they can realize from
reducing unnecessary use of electricity. For example, prior to sub-metering,
residents who left their air conditioners running while they were not at home
during the day were not specifically penalized for this waste. This added cost
(a function of increased consumption and peak load demand) would be borne by
both the conservers and non-conservers. On the other hand, residents who
conserved electricity or who were not at home (such as those who spend summers
away) for extended periods did not receive any specific benefit.
After
studying the installation of sub-metering at Carlyle Towers NYSERDA indicated, "The
impact of sub-metering on residents has varied widely, based on each resident's
individual usage habits, conservation efforts and occupancy patterns. Overall,
73% of residents in Carlyle Towers now use less energy than the
pre-sub-metering average, so they PAY LESS for electricity than they would have
without sub-metering. Only 7% are using significantly more than the
pre-sub-metering average, so they pay more, and should, because they use more
than their neighbors. Those who take extended vacations can also save with
sub-metering, since they won't pay for what they don't use."
With
sub-metering, residents have an incentive to conserve and to invest in
conservation since they can obtain a direct benefit through reduced electric
charges. Short-term conservation means turning off lights, air conditioners,
and other appliances when not in use. Long-term conservation also can include
purchase of more efficient appliances, lighting, and timers, which results in
more persistent energy savings.
Sub-metering
allocates the building's total apartment sector electric charges to the
individual apartments in direct proportion to their individual usage. It
provides a mechanism for individual residents to monitor and reduce their own
monthly electric expense by practicing conservation. Additionally, once the
issue of fairness has been addressed, apartment residents are less inclined to
scrutinize each other's lifestyle as far as electric usage is concerned.
Finally, in those buildings where monthly charges are assessed for appliances
such as air conditioners, dishwashers, freezers, washing machines, and dryers.
Sub-metering
eliminates the building management task of estimating and billing residents for
the additional electric consumption associated with these appliances. It
eliminates the need for annual apartment inspections to count appliances, many
of which are hidden by the residents to avoid the extra charge. Elimination of
this task tends to diminish the adversarial relationship between the owner and
the residents.
A
number of studies and demonstration projects cited by NYSERDA confirm both the
short-term and long-term benefits of sub-metering, including:
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Sub-metering saves energy. An analysis of sub-metered
buildings (where data have been made available) conclusively illustrates that
annual savings of 10-26% of total apartment electric consumption were achieved
in the first year.
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Sub-metering energy savings persist over time.
Sub-metering savings have proven to be maintainable over long periods of time
as demonstrated in a number of studies described in this manual Some
likely reasons are:
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that conservation is reinforced each
month by the resident's receipt of an electric bill; and
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residents will invest in efficiency
(e.g., more efficient refrigerators and lighting) because they will reap the
benefits directly.
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Approximately 60 to 70% of residents benefit from
Sub-metering The only residents who fare worse under Sub-metering than under
other means of allocating electric cost are those who use excessive amounts of
electricity. Those residents who find that their electric bills are excessive
have the ability to reduce cost by reducing consumption. They have joined the
vast majority of New Yorkers, who are directly metered, but they often retain a
distinct advantage - where applicable, they continue to pay at the bulk rather
than the retail rate.
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Sub-metering is eminently fair. Sub-metering simply
restores the "pay for what you use" concept. Con Edison data reveal
that 20-25% of total apartment usage is consumed by only 10% of the residents,
yet under master-metering, these excessive users pay the same as other
residents. Individual apartment consumption has been shown to vary by a factor
of as much as 10:1, and typically, by approximately 5:1 in apartments of the
same size in the same building! From the point of view of fairness,
Sub-metering is equally beneficial to all buildings regardless of type.
Analysis of data from buildings that installed Sub-metering as part of the Con
Edison Residential Sub-metering Program (cosponsored by NYSERDA) confirmed this
fact quite dramatically. The variability of apartment consumption was
consistent regardless of building and resident characteristics, so there were
always inequities that Sub-metering would resolve.
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Sub-metering benefits owners - Sub-metering largely
eliminates a volatile, variable, and difficult-to-control factor from a
building's operating budget-apartment electric usage costs. Whether the
building is a rental, cooperative, or condominium, owners can better predict
costs when the only electric usage to be considered is for common areas under
management control.
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Sub-metering benefits utilities and society -
Sub-metering benefits utilities and society in the same way: by reducing the
waste of energy and deferring the need to site, build, or otherwise acquire
electric generating capacity, as well as reduce the use of fossil fuels (e.g.,
oil), still the primary source of power generation in New York State. Reducing
fossil fuel use is a giant step toward enhancing the environment by improving
air quality. Decreasing our dependence on foreign oil clearly benefits all
Americans.
These conclusions confirm the benefits of Sub-metering to
society, utilities, owners, and consumers, given the appropriate allocation of
costs and benefits.
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Customer News
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NYSERDA President On IntelliCon |
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Peter R. Smith, NYSERDA President and CEO, said, “From a fuel oil efficiency and air emissions perspective, these results are very encouraging. The results of this study of the IntelliCon control system can benefit customers, our environment.
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