A check meter is an additional electricity meter used to provide another measurement of energy consumption within a building or electrical system.
In commercial properties, additional meters can be installed for several reasons. A property manager may want to separate electricity use across different areas, a facilities team may need to investigate a particular load, or an energy manager may want more detailed information than the main electricity meter can provide.
This means terms such as check meter, secondary electric meter and sub meter are sometimes used in similar situations.
However, they do not always describe exactly the same purpose.
For property and facilities teams, the most useful starting point is not the name of the meter. It is understanding what needs to be measured, why the information is required and how the resulting data will be used.
What does a check meter do?
A check meter provides an additional electricity measurement at a selected point within an electrical system.
It may be installed to provide a second source of consumption information, monitor a specific area or help a property team investigate how electricity is being used.
For example, a commercial building may have one main electricity meter recording total consumption for the property. A check meter could then be positioned to measure electricity used by a particular floor, building service or area.
This provides another level of information below the main supply.
If overall consumption changes, the additional meter may help the property team establish whether that particular part of the building contributed to the change.
A check meter does not automatically explain why consumption increased or decreased. It provides additional measured information that can support further investigation.
What is a sub meter?
A sub meter is an additional meter used to measure a defined part of a property’s electricity consumption separately from the main incoming supply.
Sub meters can be used to measure areas such as:
- individual tenant spaces
- separate floors
- communal areas
- plant rooms
- departments
- major electrical loads
- individual buildings within a wider estate
This can give property, facilities and energy teams a more detailed picture of electricity use than a single whole-building reading.
For example, the main meter may show that a building consumed more electricity this month than last month.
Submetering can help show whether that change occurred within a particular tenant area, plant room or other monitored section of the property.
For a broader commercial overview, see Elcomponent’s electrical sub metering systems page.
Is a check meter the same as a sub meter?
There can be overlap between the two terms.
The distinction is usually more about the purpose of the measurement than the physical meter itself.
A sub meter generally describes a meter that separates part of a site’s electricity consumption from the main supply.
A check meter places more emphasis on providing an additional measurement that can be checked, compared or investigated.
In some situations, the same meter could reasonably perform both functions.
For example, a meter installed for a particular area could provide separate consumption data while also allowing that area’s electricity use to be checked against other information.
Rather than becoming too focused on terminology, property teams should ask:
- What exactly does the meter measure?
- Why is that measurement needed?
- How frequently will the reading be required?
- How will the data be collected?
- Who will review the information?
Those questions provide a much stronger basis for deciding whether a meter is useful.
Why would a commercial property use a check meter?
Commercial buildings can contain many different electrical loads behind one main electricity supply.
The main meter provides an important overall figure, but it does not necessarily show what is happening within individual parts of the building.
Additional measurement can help when a team needs more detail.
For example, a check meter may support an investigation into electricity use associated with a particular area or building service.
A facilities manager might want to compare consumption before and after an operational change.
A property manager may want more information about a particular part of the building.
An energy manager may want to compare similar areas or identify where further investigation is required.
The value of the additional meter comes from giving the team another reliable measurement to work with.
What is a secondary electric meter?
The phrase secondary electric meter is often used more broadly to describe an additional meter installed behind or alongside the main metering arrangement.
A secondary meter could measure:
- a tenant area
- a separate floor
- plant
- lighting
- communal services
- a department
- another defined electrical load
Again, the name is less important than the purpose.
A secondary meter should correspond with something meaningful within the building.
There is little value in collecting additional data if nobody knows what the meter represents or how the reading should be used.
This is one reason good meter identification and system documentation are important.
Elcomponent’s sub metering system documentation guidance explains how clear meter records can support system management and future changes.
Can an existing meter be used as a check meter?
Potentially.
Many commercial properties already contain meters that were installed during previous fit-outs, tenant changes or energy projects.
Some may still provide useful measurements.
Others may no longer match the current layout of the property or may not provide the data required by the facilities or property team.
Before installing another meter, it is often useful to establish:
- what meters already exist
- what each meter measures
- whether the meter is working correctly
- whether its configuration remains suitable
- whether readings can be collected automatically
- whether the meter corresponds with the current use of the building
This can help avoid installing additional equipment where suitable metering already exists.
Elcomponent’s commercial energy management services include meter audits and surveys that can help assess meter suitability, function and configuration.
What is the difference between a check meter and the main electricity meter?
The main electricity meter generally records overall consumption associated with the site’s electricity supply.
A check meter provides an additional internal measurement.
The two therefore serve different purposes.
The main meter gives an overall total.
The check meter gives more detail about a selected part of that total.
For a commercial property team, this additional level of measurement can make it easier to understand how electricity is distributed across a building.
It can also help when investigating changes in consumption that are not obvious from the main meter alone.
Can check meter readings be collected automatically?
Yes, where the meter and communications equipment support automatic data collection.
This becomes particularly useful when a commercial property contains several meters.
Manually visiting every meter can be manageable on a small site, but it becomes more time-consuming as the number of measurement points increases.
Automatic data collection allows compatible meter readings to be transferred into a monitoring system.
This can create a more consistent record and make it easier to compare consumption over time.
Elcomponent’s MW2 energy monitoring software can bring connected energy data into dashboards, reports and analytical tools where the site’s metering and communications are configured to support that approach.
How can check meter data support energy monitoring?
A meter reading is most useful when it forms part of a wider process.
If readings are collected consistently, teams can compare periods and investigate changes.
For example, a facilities manager may notice that electricity consumption for a monitored area increased outside expected operating hours.
A property manager may see a difference between similar parts of a building.
An energy manager may identify an area that requires further investigation.
The data itself does not determine what action should be taken.
It provides evidence that helps teams decide where to look.
For organisations that require a wider view of consumption, Elcomponent’s energy monitoring systems combine metering, data collection and software analysis.
Check meters, smart meters and sub meters
These terms can sometimes cause confusion.
A supplier smart meter is associated with the main energy supply and the energy account.
A sub meter is normally an internal meter used to measure part of the property’s consumption.
A check meter is an additional measurement point that may be used for comparison, investigation or verification.
A commercial building may contain all three.
For current information about smart metering in non-domestic premises, see the UK Government’s non-domestic smart metering guidance.
When should a meter audit be considered?
A meter audit can be useful when a building already contains multiple meters but the property team is not completely clear about what they measure.
This can happen in properties that have changed over time.
Tenant areas may have been altered.
Plant may have been replaced.
Meters may have been added during previous projects without the wider metering records being updated.
An audit provides an opportunity to establish what exists before deciding what should change.
The findings can then help identify genuine gaps in measurement.
Check meter or sub meter: which do you need?
The answer depends on the information you are trying to obtain.
If you need one additional measurement for comparison or investigation, the requirement may be relatively narrow.
If you need to understand electricity use across several tenants, floors, buildings or loads, a more structured submetering system may be appropriate.
The best starting point is therefore to define what you need to know.
Once that is clear, the existing meters can be reviewed and any missing measurement points identified.
Discuss your metering project
If you have existing meters that need reviewing, or you need more detailed electricity measurement across a commercial property, Elcomponent can help assess the requirement.