Master Metering

What is Master metering?
Buildings with individual utility-grade meters for each unit are called Direct Metered. Buildings with a single meter for the entire building are called Master Metered.
The total cost of electricity for direct metered building is higher than a Master metered building for the following reasons:

1.The Local Utility assesses a meter read fee for each meter. Moving from Direct Metering to Master Metering eliminates all the meter reading fees except for the single Master Meter.
2. Electricity rates to Master Metered buildings are less expensive that rates charged to each direct meter.  The same usage will result in lower costs when a building is Master Metered.  The language that is most appropriate here is retail rates compared to wholesale rates.
3. By moving from Direct Metered to Master Metered with sub-metering, the owners can then take advantage of the lower cost of power provided to the Master Meter.

Sub-metering

What is Sub-metering?
Sub-metering is the metering of electricity in buildings occupied by owners of condominiums, co-operatives, or tenants of rental apartments. Residential energy end-users have been relegated to the bottom rung of the ladder because they do not consume as much power as large industrial or commercial users. In order to bring the benefits of energy deregulation to residential consumers, New York State is encouraging apartment buildings to sub-meter their energy purchases; this process enables an energy services company (ESCO) to furnish energy to the building owners at a wholesale price rather than the retail price that they have traditionally paid.

Why Submeter?
Under deregulation in the State of New York, there are two forms of metering:  direct metering and sub-metering. In a directly metered building, energy end-users pay their electric and gas bills directly to the utility company at the retail price for power.  The price they are charged is based on a variable rate which changes month-to-month and is reflective of weather-related and, to an extent, geopolitical considerations. All new buildings that have been constructed since 1997, when deregulation went into effect, have been sub-metered. Therefore, these newer buildings can participate in purchasing power from one of 20 licensed ESCOs. Now that the publicly regulated utilities throughout the State have been mandated to terminate their retail relationships with end-users, sub-metering has become a viable alternative. While end-users will continue to pay for the power that they consume within their apartment units, for the first time they can take advantage of the product offerings of the ESCOs: fixed prices and real-time pricing can now be accommodated to suit the temperaments of boards of directors who wish to control their energy budgets to a greater extent than was previously thought possible.

Who owns the Submeter?
Sub-meters are owned by the Property Owner, Co-operative or Condominium. The Local Utility continues to read the building’s master meter. The Owner or Board of Directors enters into an agreement with the sub-metering contractor to read the sub-meters and prepare bills, which the property management company then distributes to the apartment occupants.

What are the Advantages of Submetering?
1. In master metered buildings where occupants do not pay for the cost of electricity, sub-metering fairly distributes power costs to each energy end-user. 
2. As an energy conservation measure, sub-metering has proven to reduce electricity consumption. Reducing consumption is one of the highest priorities of the State of New York. Reducing the demand for power will stabilize the electric grid and reduce the need to build additional power plants. In addition, reducing the demand for power decreases pollution and helps mitigate greenhouse gases.
3. The New York Power Grid is operated by an independent agency called the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).  This entity provides several worthwhile programs that individuals have never been able to participate in. The scale of these programs has always favored large energy users. Now that apartment occupants are willing to band together to purchase their power requirements, these NYISO programs have now become available for these buildings’ participation. Opportunities exist for buildings to reduce power during times of high stress on the NY Electrical Grid and to receive payments from the NYISO for their efforts. So participants can earn money while fulfilling a public policy directive.

How does Sub-metering work?
Memo-Cogen uses different metering technologies that depend upon the requirements of each project. Power Line Carrier meters utilize a building's existing power lines to transmit metering data to a central data collector. No additional wiring or meter readers are required. Either a telephone line or internet connection through a cable modem transmits the data to our office on a regular basis. Another method is “wifi”; this eliminates the need to use the building power lines.
We offer solid-state, electronic meters which can provide some interesting additional features, such as temperature information inside each dwellings unit, and the ability to do curtailment programs with the NYISO.
Using our remote communications system, we gather monthly electric usage data without entering the premises. Our technical support personnel download the information, review the data and prepare monthly electric bills.