By Anoop Hariparsad, MEA Offer Marketing – Microgrids, Digital Energy at Schneider Electric

There are few things life that gets the blood boiling; and inaccurate billing is right up there with its fellow perpetrators. And it’s downright bad for business with both building owners and tenants drawing the proverbial short end of the stick.

Property owners and managers are today expected to allocate costs fairly and transparently. It is good tenant practice which goes a long way in fostering amicable relationships and establishes return business.  

Unfortunately, traditional meters, which require manual readings, are by its very nature inaccurate and quite frankly, archaic.  .  

Today’s buildings require modern metering solutions that provide property managers with access to accurate, and verifiable data, the foundation for improved billing and, importantly, better decision-making. 

• But smart metering goes beyond billing, offering important benefits to buildings like:  
• Building automation - real-time monitoring and reporting for smart buildings
• Sustainable finance & ESG reporting which provides reliable data for compliance with sustainability frameworks and corporate reporting.
• Renewable energy -  it tracks generation and consumption for solar, wind, and hybrid systems.

Improved billing accuracy and operational efficiency

As mentioned, one of the most tangible benefits of smart metering solution like Schneider Electric’s PowerLogic EM3570 Series is improved tenant billing accuracy. In multi-tenant buildings, property owners are typically billed via a bulk incoming supply and must recover those costs from individual tenants.

Sub-metering then allows for precise allocation of consumption, enabling an energy mass balance that ensures the total of tenant usage aligns with the bulk supply.

Automated data collection, enabled by smart meters, eliminates the need for manual meter readings, reducing labour costs and the risk of human error. Live data is continuously captured and fed into a centralised software platform, significantly improving data integrity and ensuring that billing is based on actual consumption rather than estimates.

Importantly, monthly reports can be generated and distributed automatically, saving time while enhancing transparency for both property managers and tenants.

Supporting multi-utility management 

Energy management in commercial properties go beyond electricity. Water usage, often manually read and billed, presents similar challenges around accuracy, cost, and effort. It becomes a truly frustrating experience when buildings receive persistent inaccurate data.

Again, integrated software platforms allow both electricity and water meters to be monitored within a single system, creating a consolidated view of resource consumption across a property.

This unified approach reduces operational overheads and provides a more complete picture of a building’s environmental footprint, an increasingly important consideration for sustainability reporting and tenant engagement.

Enabling multi-tariff optimisation and cost control

Energy tariffs depend on the time-of-use, with higher rates during peak demand periods and lower rates during off-peak times. Without automated metering, it is extremely difficult to accurately determine how much energy was consumed during each tariff window.

Smart meters record consumption in alignment with tariff structures, allowing buildings to be billed accurately based on when energy is used. This visibility enables property managers and tenants to identify peak demand periods, shift non-essential loads, and implement demand-management strategies. 

This can lead to meaningful reductions in energy costs and improved load management across the facility.

As expectations around billing accuracy and transparency, efficiency, and environmental responsibility continue to rise, smart metering provides property owners and managers with the tools they need to meet today’s demands while future-proofing their buildings for tomorrow.