Commercial properties can contain many different electricity-consuming areas: offices, tenant spaces, common areas, lighting, air-conditioning, pumps, workshops and other electrical loads.
A single utility bill shows the property’s total electricity consumption, but it may not explain where that electricity was used or which areas contributed to an unexpected increase.
Smart electricity meters can provide more detailed information by measuring electricity usage at selected points and sending the information to a compatible dashboard or energy-management platform. This gives property owners, landlords and facilities managers clearer visibility of consumption across their buildings.
Key takeaways
- Smart electricity meters can monitor an entire property or selected areas, depending on where meters are installed.
- Separate meters can be used for tenant spaces, floors, departments, equipment groups and common areas.
- Commercial properties may require a combination of single-phase and three-phase electricity monitoring.
- MQTT, Modbus RTU and RS485 allow meters and monitoring systems to exchange electricity data.
- Smart energy monitoring and prepaid electricity vending are not the same requirement.
- Monitoring provides information, but savings depend on how the property uses that information.
What is a smart electricity meter for a commercial property?
A smart electricity meter measures electricity usage and makes the recorded information available electronically.
A commercial smart-metering solution may include:
- One or more electricity meters
- Current-measurement equipment where required
- A data-collection or communication device
- RS485 or another communication network
- MQTT or Modbus RTU integration
- A dashboard, IoT platform or energy-management system
- Historical data and reporting tools
The meter measures the electrical values. The communication system collects and transfers the information. The dashboard then presents the information in a format that property managers can review.
The UDH-DL Smart Electricity Meter supplied by Repro Supplies supports MQTT, Modbus RTU and RS485 communication and can be used with compatible Carlo Gavazzi EM and ET series energy meters.
Why commercial properties need better electricity visibility
Commercial properties often have several different types of electrical load operating at the same time.
For example, a property may contain:
- Tenant offices or retail units
- Common-area lighting
- Air-conditioning and ventilation systems
- Pumps and water-heating equipment
- Lifts or escalators
- Security and access-control equipment
- Server rooms and telecommunications equipment
- Workshops or production areas
- Solar generation and backup-power systems
When all these loads are represented by one total electricity reading, it can be difficult to understand what caused a change in consumption.
Installing meters at appropriate points allows the property manager to separate the overall total into useful categories. The exact result depends on the electrical distribution layout and where each meter is installed.
What can a commercial smart meter monitor?
Depending on the connected meter and system configuration, the UDH-DL system can make several electrical measurements available.
These may include:
- Line-to-neutral voltage
- Line-to-line voltage
- Current per phase
- Total current
- Active power
- Reactive power
- Apparent power
- Power factor
- Frequency
- Imported electricity in kWh
- Exported electricity in kWh
- kvarh energy counters
The system supports both single-phase and three-phase monitoring applications.
These values can help property managers understand how electricity usage changes during different operating periods.
For example, consumption can be compared:
- During occupied and unoccupied hours
- Between weekdays and weekends
- Before and after additional equipment is installed
- Across separate floors or departments
- Between common areas and tenant areas
- During normal utility supply and alternative-power operation
- Across different months or seasons
Monitoring does not automatically correct inefficient energy use. It provides the information needed to investigate patterns and make better-informed decisions.
Whole-building monitoring and submetering
A commercial property may require electricity monitoring at more than one level.
Main incoming supply
A meter installed at the main incoming supply can provide an overview of the entire property’s electricity usage.
This can be useful for:
- Monitoring total consumption
- Reviewing usage trends
- Comparing recorded usage with utility information
- Monitoring the property’s overall electrical load
- Establishing a baseline for future comparisons
Floors, departments and common areas
Additional meters can be installed on selected distribution circuits to monitor individual sections of a building.
Depending on the electrical layout, this may include:
- Individual floors
- Common-area lighting
- Air-conditioning systems
- Pumps
- Workshops
- Server rooms
- Production areas
- Other high-consumption loads
This can help a facilities manager identify which areas are contributing most to total electricity usage.
Tenant and sectional monitoring
In a multi-tenant property, separate meters may be used to record electricity consumption for individual tenant areas or sections.
This can give landlords and property managers clearer consumption records and help them investigate differences between areas.
The Repro Supplies product page identifies apartment blocks, rental units, commercial buildings, tenant areas and sectional electricity monitoring as suitable applications for the UDH-DL system.
Smart energy monitoring and tenant billing are not automatically the same
It is important to define the purpose of the system before choosing equipment.
A property may need metering for:
- Internal energy monitoring
- Tenant consumption records
- Cost allocation
- Utility-bill comparison
- Prepaid electricity vending
- Formal tenant billing
- Solar import and export monitoring
These requirements are not necessarily served by the same equipment or configuration.
A monitoring system can provide useful consumption data without automatically being a prepaid vending or revenue-billing system. Where meter readings will be used for formal billing, the property owner should confirm the applicable equipment, accuracy, installation and legal requirements with appropriately qualified professionals.
When requesting a quotation, clearly state whether the objective is general monitoring, internal allocation, tenant billing or prepaid electricity.
Single-phase and three-phase commercial metering
Commercial properties may contain both single-phase and three-phase electrical supplies.
Single-phase monitoring
Single-phase meters may be suitable for:
- Individual offices
- Small retail units
- Apartments
- Smaller tenant areas
- Selected circuits
- Certain equipment groups
Three-phase monitoring
Three-phase monitoring may be required for:
- Main building supplies
- Larger commercial properties
- Workshops
- Pumps
- Air-conditioning systems
- Larger distribution boards
- Industrial or manufacturing areas
The monitoring equipment must match the electrical supply and the measurements required.
The UDH-DL system can be used with compatible meters for both single-phase and three-phase energy-monitoring applications.
Using RS485 for multi-meter installations
Large commercial properties may need several meters distributed across different areas.
The UDH-DL system supports RS485 communication, which allows compatible devices to communicate across a connected serial network.
According to the Repro Supplies product information, the UDH-DL system can support up to 160 devices on one RS485 bus, subject to correct wiring, termination and system configuration.
This can make the system suitable for applications such as:
- Office parks
- Shopping centres
- Apartment buildings
- Multi-tenant commercial properties
- Factories
- Workshops
- Properties with several distribution boards
- Buildings that require several monitoring points
The number and placement of meters should be planned around the property’s electrical layout and reporting requirements.
How Modbus RTU supports electricity monitoring
Modbus is commonly used to exchange process data between industrial and automation devices. Modbus serial installations can operate over physical interfaces such as RS485.
The UDH-DL system can read Modbus registers from compatible Carlo Gavazzi EM and ET series electricity meters.
This allows electrical measurements from the connected meters to be collected and made available to the monitoring system.
When planning a Modbus installation, it is important to confirm:
- Meter compatibility
- Register maps
- Device addresses
- Communication settings
- Cabling and termination
- The number of connected devices
- Dashboard or software requirements
How MQTT connects meter data to dashboards
MQTT is a lightweight client-server publish-and-subscribe messaging protocol. It is frequently used where devices need to send information to connected systems or IoT platforms.
The UDH-DL system is MQTT-ready, allowing electricity data to be sent to compatible:
- Cloud dashboards
- IoT platforms
- Energy-management systems
- Building-management systems
- Reporting applications
A dashboard can organise the meter data into charts, totals, trends and comparisons. The exact information shown depends on the connected meters, the available measurements and the dashboard configuration.
Commercial property applications
Office buildings and business parks
Smart meters can be used to monitor:
- Main incoming electricity
- Separate office blocks
- Individual floors
- Tenant areas
- Common-area circuits
- Air-conditioning loads
- Server or communications rooms
This can give facilities managers a clearer picture of how electricity is distributed across the property.
Retail centres and shopping properties
Retail properties may use separate meters for:
- Individual shops
- Food-service areas
- Common passages
- Lighting
- Air-conditioning
- Refrigeration areas
- Property-management offices
Separate monitoring points can help management understand which parts of the centre contribute to total consumption.
Apartment buildings and rental properties
Meters can be installed for:
- Individual apartments
- Groups of units
- Common areas
- Pumps
- Lifts
- Security systems
- Shared services
Property managers should decide whether the readings are intended for monitoring, internal allocation, tenant billing or prepaid electricity before selecting the system.
Warehouses and workshops
A warehouse or workshop may want to monitor:
- Main supply consumption
- Lighting
- Machinery
- Compressors
- Pumps
- Office areas
- Separate production or storage zones
Monitoring different areas can make it easier to identify when and where significant consumption occurs.
Properties with solar or alternative power
The compatible meters can provide import and export kWh information, depending on the selected meter and installation.
This can help a property review electricity moving to or from the monitored connection point.
The correct meter placement is important because readings will reflect only the part of the electrical system being measured.
Smart electricity meter vs a traditional meter
| Feature | Connected smart-metering system | Basic traditional meter |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity measurement | Yes | Yes |
| Remote dashboard access | Available with compatible system | Usually unavailable |
| Historical usage information | Available through connected platform | Often limited |
| MQTT integration | Available on the UDH-DL | No |
| Modbus RTU support | Available with compatible meters | Usually no |
| RS485 multi-meter network | Supported by the UDH-DL system | Usually no |
| Multiple monitoring points | Can be configured | Requires separate manual readings |
| Single-phase and three-phase options | Available | Depends on meter |
| Import and export monitoring | Available with compatible meter | Depends on meter |
The main difference is not simply whether a meter has a digital display. A connected smart-metering system can transfer the recorded information to another platform for central monitoring and reporting.
Questions to answer before selecting a commercial metering solution
Before requesting a quotation, collect the following information:
- What type of property is being monitored?
- Is the main supply single-phase or three-phase?
- How many distribution boards are involved?
- How many meters or monitoring points are required?
- Must individual tenants or areas be monitored separately?
- Is the system for monitoring, allocation, billing or prepaid electricity?
- Which electrical values must be recorded?
- Is solar import and export monitoring required?
- Is a cloud dashboard required?
- Must the system connect to an existing building-management platform?
- Is MQTT integration required?
- Is Modbus RTU or RS485 already used on the property?
- How far apart will the connected meters be?
- Who will install and commission the electrical equipment?
- Who will review and interpret the resulting data?
Clear answers to these questions help avoid selecting a meter that does not match the actual application.
UDH-DL smart electricity monitoring for commercial properties
The UDH-DL Smart Electricity Meter is designed for connected electricity monitoring in homes, apartments, commercial buildings, factories, workshops and industrial environments.
It supports:
- MQTT communication
- Modbus RTU integration
- RS485 meter networks
- Compatible Carlo Gavazzi EM and ET series meters
- Single-phase monitoring
- Three-phase monitoring
- Multi-meter installations
- Cloud dashboards
- IoT energy platforms
- Import and export energy monitoring
The system can help landlords, property managers, facilities managers and businesses gain better visibility of electricity usage across selected areas and loads.
Internal link: Link the words UDH-DL Smart Electricity Meter to the main smart electricity meter product page.
Frequently asked questions
Can smart electricity meters be used in commercial properties?
Yes. Smart electricity meters can be used in offices, retail properties, apartment buildings, workshops, factories and other commercial environments.
The meter and system configuration must be selected according to the electrical supply, number of monitoring points and information required.
Can one system monitor several electricity meters?
Yes. The UDH-DL supports RS485 multi-meter installations and can collect information from compatible connected meters.
Can smart meters monitor individual tenants?
Separate meters may be installed for individual tenant areas, depending on the property’s electrical distribution.
The property owner should confirm whether the readings are intended for general monitoring, internal allocation, formal billing or prepaid electricity.
Does the system support three-phase electricity?
Yes. The UDH-DL can be used for both single-phase and three-phase applications when connected to suitable compatible meters.
Can meter information be displayed on a dashboard?
Yes. The UDH-DL supports MQTT and can make data available to compatible cloud dashboards, IoT platforms and energy-management systems.
Does installing a smart meter automatically reduce electricity costs?
No. A smart meter records and presents electricity information.
Cost reductions depend on whether the data reveals unnecessary consumption and whether effective corrective actions are taken.
Is a smart electricity meter the same as a prepaid meter?
Not necessarily.
“Smart meter” describes connected measurement and communication capabilities. Prepaid vending, tenant billing and general energy monitoring are different requirements that must be specified when selecting a solution.
What information does Repro Supplies need for a quotation?
Provide details about:
- The property type
- Single-phase or three-phase supply
- Number of meters required
- Electrical values to be monitored
- Tenant or sectional monitoring requirements
- MQTT, Modbus or RS485 integration
- Dashboard requirements
- Solar import and export monitoring
- Existing compatible meters or systems
Discuss a commercial electricity-monitoring solution
Repro Supplies can assist property owners, landlords, facilities managers and system integrators with smart electricity-monitoring solutions for commercial properties in South Africa.
Contact Repro Supplies with information about the property, electrical supply, number of monitoring points and dashboard requirements to discuss an appropriate setup.
Call: +27 11 826 5364
Email: info@reprosupplies.co.za