On this page 3 sections
Submetering: a meter, a CT, a landing — measurement, not a utility meter bank
Submetering is a measurement job: a meter, a CT, a landing, and a load that is actually separable. It is not a utility meter bank. It is how a landlord or a workplace attributes charging, a tenant, or a process line.
The stalls themselves
Assigned or shared garage charging is multifamily EV charging.
The utility’s sockets
A stack the utility reads is meter banks.
Employee or fleet stalls
Workplace charging as a job is workplace EV charging.
Submetering: a meter that stands up — the right CT, revenue-grade if it bills, and a home for the data
A submeter is only worth installing if its number can be trusted and used. That is the correct current transformer, a meter rated for what the reading is for, and a way to get the data somewhere someone acts on.
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The CT is the accuracy
The current transformer has to match the conductor and the load range. An oversized or misclamped CT reads noise, and a billing dispute follows the bad number.
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Revenue-grade if it bills
Allocating cost for information is one thing; billing a tenant is another and often wants a revenue-grade, sometimes utility-accepted, meter. What the number is used for decides the meter.
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Where the reading goes
A meter nobody can read is useless. The pulse output, network, or gateway that carries the data is part of the install, not an afterthought.
When submetering isn’t the right job
Measuring a separable load is this job. The utility’s own meter stack, and the charging stalls themselves, are different pages.
The utility flagged the sockets
That is meter banks.
The garage and the stall count are the job
That is multifamily EV charging.
Submetering questions
Is this the same as replacing the meter stack?
No. It is not a utility meter bank. Sockets the utility reads are meter banks. This job measures a load the house meter cannot split.
We need to bill EV stalls in the garage.
The stalls are multifamily EV charging. This job is the meter that attributes them.
A workplace wants each stall allocated.
Still this job. Employee stalls as a charging job are workplace EV charging.
Can we guess from the house meter?
No. Guessing is why this job exists. The load has to be separable, with a landing that is actually a meter.
What does it mean to be submetered?
Each suite or unit has a meter downstream of the building service so usage can be billed separately.
Is Submetering legal in California?
California allows it in some building types with the right utility setup. We install the hardware when the account arrangement is already allowed.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.
Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area
Litel Electric serves businesses throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.
Get estimate
Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.
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You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
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We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
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Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
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