Austin, TX, U.S.A. --- (METERING.COM) --- April 29, 2010 - Electricity submetering is showing significant growth globally, with sales anticipated to grow at almost 10 percent annually in the near term, even in the midst of the global economic crisis.
While the 2009 global market for meters used in tenant submetering is estimated at roughly 300,000 unit shipments, submeter specification product used in building energy management had a market size of roughly 180,000 units, higher than initially anticipated.
This is among the findings of a new report from IMS Research, “World Market for Power Quality Meters and Electricity Submeters 2010.”
Supplier shipment data in 2008-2009 presented in the report indicates increasing investment in more granular power metering outside of the traditional environments of manufacturing and the grid. While tenant submetering is the most visible use of small meters in non utility billing applications, functionally analogous equipment is useful in a variety of roles within ever more networked and automated buildings and facilities.
Applications include simple power monitoring in offices, airports, and other large buildings used to manage and potentially automate electricity usage within the facility.
“These devices are the foundation of automated building and energy management systems, which are becoming more prevalent due to rising energy cost, ongoing government incentives, and customer education,” commented analyst Donald Henschel. “Government initiatives in the U.S. and abroad set the tone for future energy monitoring practices in buildings and institutions. While the slow recovery of the global economy may dampen the adoption of metering in the short term, customer education is improving and all signs point toward rapid market growth in the near future.”
In Europe, where tenant electricity submetering is a more mature market, the growth in metering in non industrial applications is less pronounced than in the Americas and Asia. China presents a particularly stark example of how government action can radically change the general topology of electricity usage and metering; all government buildings have been tasked with taking greater responsibility for their energy use, including the installation of internal power meters.
“While smart utility metering holds the promise of improved grid efficiency at the macro level, from generation to utility metered endpoint, the expansion of measurement and automation technology within the largest electricity users holds promise for further, more immediate gains for the end-user,” concluded Henschel.