Single Utility Meter Causes Multiple Challenges for Office Park Complex
Located just outside of Boston, the Chapel Bridge Park Office Complex occupies over 250,000 square feet of suburban real estate. The sprawling office park complex consists of a mix of old and newer buildings that attract tenants with offices that boast tall ceilings, abundant natural light, ample parking and close proximity to public transportation and the Mass Pike.
Each month, property owner Chapel Bridge Park Associates (CBPA) undertook a labor-intensive process to allot a portion of its electric bill to tenants based on an allocation ratio. Since tenants were unaware of how much electricity they were using and paid for more or less than what they consumed, there was little incentive for them to conserve energy.
Seeking to redirect accountability for electrical usage to its tenants and streamline its accounting operations, CBPA placed a call to its long-time electrical engineering consultant, Vincent A. DiLorio, Inc. (Norwood, MA) to explore options for creating an equitable, energy-efficient arrangement. “Knowing Leviton as a leader in sustainable solutions, I met with their sales rep and spoke with subject matter experts at the Company about their sub-metering product line. Their products and support were a good fit for us. We were able to implement a cost-effective way for CBPA to recover its utility costs, save energy and reduce its carbon footprint,” said Vincent DiLorio.
Wireless System Saves Installation Time and Reduces Labor Costs
Aslan Electric (Franklin, MA) was retained to install the sub-meters across the Complex’s four buildings. “We selected Leviton’s wireless system and the decision was a smart choice. The products gave us a way around having to drill through the buildings’ brick exterior and run the cable lines from the HD Pulse Module to the Energy Monitoring Hub,” said Aslan Electric’s Rob LaRosa. “At first I was concerned about the signal intensity given the wide expanse of the complex, but we tested the signal strength and it provided consistent, reliable performance across the network’s entire span. The wireless products cut down on time and material requirements and they performed flawlessly,” he added.
The Installation
Thirty-eight Leviton Series 2000 Meters were installed for the Complex’s 4-wire service areas and three Series 3000 Meters were installed for larger amperage spaces fed with 3-wire service.
Eight Leviton ModHopper Wireless Modbus/ Pulse Transceivers, seven High-Density Pulse Modules and an Energy Monitoring Hub (EMH) completed the installation. The ModHoppers send signals over a wireless mesh network that makes connecting the meters to the EMH simple and cost effective. Using only a web browser, a third-party billing company remotely collects data directly from the EMH that can be download into Excel/.CSV file formats without the use of special software. This in turn, lets it create individual invoices for each tenant based on their actual electrical usage. CBPA has the option in the future to add Leviton’s Energy Manager to its system to measure its real-time efficiency gains.
The Bottom Line
The installation of the wireless meters enabled CBPA to achieve better energy management and cost savings, as well as use a third-party biller to reduce its administrative overhead.
"We’ve been able to track all tenant related energy usage and common-area and after-hours usage to recover these hard-to-allocate costs as well,” said John Savino, property manager for CBPA. “The system not only saves money, but improves the marketability of our property. Since participating tenants are responsible for their own electric bills, we can offer more competitive rents, attract more prospective tenants and run a more sustainable business.” he added.
System Benefits
- Redirects responsibility for electrical usage from property owners to tenants
- Encourages energy conservation among tenants
- Offers convenient way to monitor electrical usage for energy savings
- Provides web-based access to real-time usage data and reports
- Enables third-party billing
- Wireless installation saves time and labor costs
Project Implementation Team
- Chapel Bridge Park Associates (Newton, MA) Property Owner
- Vincent A. DiLorio, Inc. (Norwood, MA) Electrical Engineering Consultant
- Needham Electric Supply (Canton, MA) Electrical Distributor
- Aslan Electric (Franklin, MA) Electrical Contractor
Series 2000
Three Phase Meter Kits
