Sub-metering services
Whether it’s submetering electricity, water, or gas usage, your goal is the same: to achieve better visibility and control over your consumption, identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and improve sustainability. This is where our sub-metering services come in, managing, monitoring and servicing these essential devices.
What is sub-metering?
Sub-metering is the process of installing additional metering equipment to measure energy consumption at a more granular level than the main utility meter. A sub meter for electricity, gas, or water enables building owners and facility managers to track usage by floor, department, equipment, or tenant—providing a clearer picture of where and how resources are being used.
Whether it’s sub metering electricity, sub metering water, or sub meter gas installations, the goal is the same: achieve better visibility and control over consumption to identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and improve sustainability performance.
Why are sub-metering services so important?
Sub-metering delivers a wide range of business benefits, particularly for organisations operating across complex estates or multiple locations:
Energy/cost
reduction
Sub-metering reveals where and when energy is being used—and wasted—allowing businesses to make informed decisions that reduce overall consumption. It effectively acts as a device to save electricity by empowering behavioural and operational changes.
ESOS
Compliance
Sub-metering supports compliance with the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) by providing the detailed consumption data needed for audits and reporting. Learn more about ESOS phase 4 and how you can prepare.
Building Performance
Optimisation
Understand how different systems perform across sites. Sub-metering can uncover inefficiencies such as HVAC overuse or machinery left running outside of operational hours—insights that can lead to targeted upgrades or policy changes.
Multi-site
Energy Management
Sub-metering reveals where and when energy is being used—and wasted—allowing businesses to make informed decisions that reduce overall consumption. It effectively acts as a device to save electricity by empowering behavioural and operational changes.
How EMMA AI uses sub-metering data
EMMA AI, our machine learning-powered energy intelligence platform, is designed to turn complex energy data into actionable insights. By integrating with your sub metering infrastructure, the platform learns usage patterns, flags anomalies, and alerts you to prevent energy waste—often before it becomes costly.
Whether the data comes from sub-metering electric, gas, or water systems, EMMA AI transforms it into practical guidance for facility teams and senior management. With updates every 30 minutes, it ensures your energy decisions are always based on the most recent data.
Our sub-metering services
Support existing meters
Do you already have a submeter for electricity, water, or gas? We ensure your existing metering infrastructure is fully utilised by auditing performance, ensuring accuracy, and providing regular on-site maintenance.
Installation of new meters
We offer end-to-end submeter installation for electric, gas, and water across commercial and industrial environments. Our expert engineers will specify, supply, and install the ideal metering setup to provide you with complete visibility of your energy usage.
Connect meter data to EMMA AI
Our team will connect your current and new sub-metering systems directly to EMMA AI, whether you’re using open protocol meters, BMS systems, or third-party APIs. As soon as your data is connected to EMMA AI, you’ll accelerate your energy/cost savings.
Sub-meting, Frequently Asked Questions
What is energy sub-metering?
Energy sub-metering is the practice of installing additional meters to measure consumption in specific areas, departments, or equipment within a building.
Why should my business use sub-meters?
Sub-meters provide detailed data that helps identify waste, improve efficiency, allocate costs fairly, and support compliance reporting.
Which organisations benefit most from sub-metering?
Large multi-site businesses, landlords, universities, hospitals, and manufacturers benefit the most, as they often require visibility across multiple energy users.
Does sub-metering help with ESOS and SECR compliance?
Yes. Accurate sub-metered data strengthens compliance reporting and makes audits more reliable.
How is sub-metering equipment installed?
Sub-meters are installed alongside your existing main meters. They can be fitted to monitor specific circuits, equipment, or areas of a building.
Our engineers assess your current setup, integrate the meters into our system, and ensure data flows securely into EMMA AI for analysis. This can usually be accomplished remotely, without any distractions to your sites.
Can sub-meters monitor more than electricity?
Yes. Sub-meters can be installed that track electricity, gas, heat, and water, providing a complete view of resource consumption.
How much does energy sub-metering cost?
Costs depend on the number of submeters required and the complexity of installation. Most organisations recover the investment quickly through the reduced energy waste that sub-meters and EMMA AI together save.
Can sub-meters integrate with energy management software?
Absolutely. Sub-meters feed detailed consumption data into platforms like EMMA AI, enabling automated analysis and real-time waste detection.
What is a sub-meter?
A sub-meter is a device that measures energy consumption for a specific area or system, separate from the main utility meter. They provide detailed insights into where and how energy is being used.
Do I need to replace sub-meters installed by another company?
Not necessarily. Optimal Monitoring can often support and integrate your existing equipment, saving you the cost of replacement.
Will integrating my sub-meters disrupt operations?
No. In most cases, connection and servicing can be completed with minimal disruption to your business, often with setup being handled remotely.
Can sub-meters help with tenant billing or internal cost allocation?
Yes. Sub-meters enable fair and accurate billing for tenants or departments by accurately tracking the energy usage of each.
Useful sub-metering links
ETL Guidance: Automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) Sub-metering Systems - Checklist & Statement Template
Government/Carbon Trust guidance on technical criteria for sub-metering equipment to qualify for the Energy Technology List
Better Buildings Partnership - Guidance Note 4.4: Advanced Metering
Helpful guidance aimed at asset/property/facilities managers. Explains remote reading, consumption data, and utility performance monitoring
An Introductory Guide to Smart Meters for the Public Sector (Gov.uk)
Includes FAQs and case studies for public sector organisations (schools, local authorities, NHS)
Harnessing the Carbon Reduction Opportunity of Sub-Metering (Energy Manager Magazine)
The article focuses on carbon reduction potential, and is often used to illustrate environmental value as well as operational cost savings