.svg)
In facilities where electrical consumption is distributed across tenants, departments, or complex systems, relying solely on a main utility meter falls short. To truly understand and manage energy usage, you need insight into where that power is going and how it changes over time. That’s the role of electrical submetering.
By tracking electricity at a more granular level, submetering helps organizations allocate costs more accurately, identify inefficiencies, and optimize energy performance. Whether you’re running a commercial property, a campus, or an industrial site, submetering offers the clarity needed to make smarter decisions.
How Submetering Works
Submetering involves placing additional meters throughout an electrical system, typically at distribution panels or specific equipment. These meters, often referred to as electrical sub meters, measure usage by area, process, or tenant. While smaller and more affordable than main service meters, they still offer a rich set of features such as power demand tracking, voltage and current measurement, and integration with data platforms.
A submetering setup allows for:
- Tenant billing based on real consumption
- Department-level usage reporting
- Equipment-specific diagnostics
- Tracking of energy-saving project outcomes
- Internal benchmarking across sites or systems
What Makes Up a Submetering System
A complete submetering solution combines both hardware and software to deliver useful, actionable information. At its core, you’ll find:
- Electric submeters installed at key distribution points
- Communication modules that use Modbus, BACnet, or wireless protocols
- A centralized dashboard for real-time visibility and alerting
- Data storage and export functions to connect with billing or sustainability platforms
These components work together to provide ongoing clarity into where and how electricity is being used. Whether managing a handful of meters or a large-scale deployment across multiple buildings, the architecture is built for flexibility and scale.
Why It Matters to Your Bottom Line
Submetering is not just about better data, it’s about better control. With deeper visibility, organizations can respond faster to abnormalities, track performance improvements, and build trust through transparent billing.
Some of the benefits include:
- More accurate allocation of utility costs
- Early detection of energy waste, such as equipment left running off-hours
- Support for ESG goals and green certifications
- Smarter preventive maintenance guided by usage patterns
- Real-time validation of energy-saving initiatives
The financial and operational impact of these improvements can be significant, especially over time.
SATEC’s Approach to Submetering
SATEC offers submetering solutions designed to meet the needs of both commercial and industrial operations. Whether you’re retrofitting an existing system or equipping a new facility, SATEC products are engineered to deliver precise data with minimal installation complexity.
Our product lineup includes:
- BFM-II for multi-load monitoring within panelboards
- EM133, PM130 and PM135 for compact yet powerful circuit-level insight
- Support for multi-tariff billing and real-time alarms
- Seamless integration into building management and cloud-based platforms
From five submeters to five hundred, our systems scale with your operation and provide consistent, reliable performance across the board.
A Smarter Approach to Energy Management
True energy efficiency starts with understanding. Submetering electricity is not just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic move that helps you uncover opportunities, reduce waste, and manage resources more intelligently.
At SATEC, we provide the tools that turn energy data into practical insight. Whether you’re a property manager, sustainability officer, or facilities engineer, our submetering solutions are built to support your goals with clarity and confidence.
Let us help you bring visibility to every part of your energy system.
