How to select energy meter

Are you still worried about how to select energy meter? From tenant submetering to power quality monitoring, selecting the right energy meter depends on several critical selection criteria. This article offers a practical guide for selecting energy meters, covering key factors like meter system type, functions, communication protocols, accuracy, certifications, form factors, and installation options. It helps users choose the right meter based on project requirements for efficient power management.

Select energy meter by System type: single phase or three phase (3P3W, 3P4W)

When selecting an electricity meter, you should be sure to match the system type to the power configuration at the installation site. Choosing the right system type ensures accurate energy measurement, stable operation, and compatibility with the electrical system.

Single-phase systems: Generally, they consist of one live wire (L) and one neutral wire (N). Single-phase meters are typically used in residential, small commercial, or personal equipment applications.

Three-phase systems: They consist of three live wires (L1, L2, L3) and a possible neutral wire (N), divided into:

Three-phase three-wire (3P3W): no neutral wire, used for balanced loads

Three-phase four-wire (3P4W): with neutral wire, can connect single-phase/three-phase mixed loads, commonly used in industrial or commercial power distribution. Designed for industrial, commercial, and large-scale power distribution systems.

When you’re dealing with a three-phase power connection from the utility company, you’ll need to use a three-phase energy meter. Similarly, if you have a three-phase solar PV inverter that needs its energy production measured, a three-phase meter is also required.

For a single-phase connection to the utility grid, you have a couple of options: you can use a single-phase energy meter, or even a three-phase meter, as most of them have a setting to operate in single-phase mode.

Now, if you have a setup with a single-phase utility connection and a single-phase PV inverter that also needs energy metering, our multi-channel energy meter is the perfect solution. It can handle both.

Finally, if the amount of electrical current in your application goes beyond the maximum rating of the energy meter, you’ll need to use an energy meter in combination with current transformers. These allow the meter to accurately measure higher currents.

Select energy meter by Functional requirements

You may need energy meter with different functions. Just confirm your energy meter functional requirements and communicate with energy meter manufacturers. The following is our energy metering solution for customer’s advanced functional requirements.

You need Multi-function type energy meter: With electric energy metering function, it can monitor all electric parameters such as voltage and current in real time, support demand management, harmonic monitoring, switch input and output, over-limit alarm and communication. It is suitable for industrial power distribution, data center, building energy efficiency management, etc. It adopts 5A/1A or open type transformer, which is suitable for installation in the main circuit and important branches to meet the needs of power distribution monitoring and energy consumption statistics.

APM-96J Multifunction Power Meter

Measurement: U, I, P, Q, S, PF, KWH, THD etc.

Communication: Built-in RS485 Modbus-RTU

Wiring: 1P2W, 2P3W(2CT), 3P3W, 3P4W

Current Measurement …/ 1A or …/5 A

Accuracy: class 0.2, IEC61557-12

2.You need Power quality monitoring type energy meter: focus on power grid quality analysis, with voltage, current harmonics (2~63 times), three-phase imbalance, voltage sag, swell, event recording and other functions. Some products support high-speed waveform capture and power quality report output. It is recommended to be installed in the main incoming line and key load circuit of the distribution room, with 5A/1A or high current level transformer to ensure power supply quality and system safety.

APM-96Q Multifunction Power Meter

2-63rd harmonic individual monitoring

Voltage drops, flicker, and fluctuation monitoring

Waveform capture record for fault tracing

Max demand, grid imbalance, voltage/current deviation

3. Select energy meter based on current

Requirement	Measurement type	Solution
Single – phase up to 100A	Direct	DEM-2M1D; DEM-4M1D
Three – phase up to 65A/phase	Direct	DEM-7M3D
Single – phase more than 100A/phase	Current Transformers	DEM – 3M1C
Split – phase more than 65A/phase	Current Transformers	Not available
Three – phase more than 65A/phase	Current Transformers	BPM series; APM series, DEM-4MC

Select energy meter by Communication Methods

The electric energy meter supports multiple communication methods, such as RS485, Modbus-TCP, LoRa, etc., which facilitates remote meter reading, real-time monitoring and energy consumption management, and meets the intelligent power distribution and energy management needs of different application scenarios.

Protocol	Description	Application
RS485 (Modbus-RTU)	Based on serial bus, point – to – multi – point connection, simple wiring, strong anti – interference ability, often used in building and industrial automation	Power distribution rooms, factories, building BMS, EMS systems
RS232	Single – point communication, short transmission distance, was widely used in the early days, now mostly used for debugging or small independent systems	Retrofit of old equipment, on – site debugging
Ethernet (Modbus-TCP)	Modbus protocol based on Ethernet, fast communication rate, supports remote data collection and management	Intelligent buildings, data centers, enterprise power management
LoRa/LoRaWAN	Low – power wide – area wireless communication, suitable for places with long – distance and difficult wiring in complex environments	Industrial parks, remote meter reading of smart electricity meters in residential areas

Blue Jay power meter has integrated multiple mainstream communication interfaces such as RS232, RS485 and Ethernet. In the future, it will continue to deploy wireless Internet of Things technologies such as LoRa, Wi-Fi, GPRS/4G to build a more efficient, intelligent and flexible energy management communication system.

Select energy meter by Energy Meter Accuracy Class

The energy meter accuracy class indicates the measurement error range of the energy meter. The smaller the number, the higher the accuracy. For example, the error of level 0.2 does not exceed ±0.2%.

Common accuracy levels:

Level 0.2: High-precision measurement, such as power company billing and energy consumption monitoring.

Level 0.5: General power measurement, suitable for most industrial and commercial occasions.

Level 1.0: Ordinary households or low-precision applications, suitable for simple energy consumption statistics.

Blue Jay’s meters mainly use 0.5 and 0.2 accuracy levels to meet the high-precision requirements of different measurement needs.

Select energy meter by Certification requirements

Common certifications for electricity meters include the following, ensuring that they meet international and regional safety, accuracy and quality standards:

CE certification: mandatory certification for the European market, ensuring that the meter meets the EU’s health, safety and environmental protection requirements.

UL certification: Underwriters Laboratories certification, ensuring that the meter meets US safety standards, especially electrical safety.

IEC certification: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) certification, the meter must comply with IEC international standards, covering electrical performance, safety and durability.

MID certification: Measuring Instruments Directive certification for the EU market, ensuring the accuracy and compliance of the meter when used for commercial metering, especially for electricity metering.

ISO certification: International Organization for Standardization certification, ensuring that the meter production process meets quality management system standards, such as ISO 9001.

TÜV certification: German TÜV certification represents that the product meets the high safety, quality and environmental standards of Germany and the EU. For electricity meters, TÜV certification usually covers aspects such as electrical safety, measurement accuracy, and environmental adaptability, ensuring their reliability under various working conditions.

RoHS certification: Ensures that the meter complies with the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive, which prohibits the use of certain hazardous substances such as lead and mercury.

These certifications not only ensure that the electricity meters comply with the regulations and requirements of various markets, but also verify their reliability in terms of safety, measurement accuracy, and quality control.

Select energy meter by Dimensions and installation methods

The dimensions of electric meters are closely related to the installation methods, which depend on the type, function and application scenario of the electric meter. Common dimensions and installation methods of electric meters are as follows

Din-rail installation type: designed according to the standard modular width, common specifications are 3 modules, 4 modules, and 7 modules (1 module = 18mm width). Suitable for distribution boxes or electrical control cabinets, convenient for centralized installation of multiple units, saving space and wiring specifications.

Panel installation type: common dimensions are 96×96mm, 72×72mm, and 48×48mm, suitable for installation on control cabinets, switch cabinets or operation desk panels, convenient for on-site reading and management.

These two installation methods are widely used in industrial, commercial and building power distribution systems, comply with the standardized installation specifications of power metering equipment, and facilitate system integration, commissioning and maintenance.