Emporia Energy's latest innovation, the Vue: Gen 3 home energy monitor, offers a sophisticated solution for managing and tracking energy consumption in rental properties, particularly beneficial for situations involving sub-metering. This article aims to elucidate the device's functionalities and illustrate how it can be effectively utilized to monitor tenant electrical usage, enabling precise and fair billing.
Understanding the Vue: Gen 3 Home Energy Monitor
The Vue: Gen 3 is specifically designed to cater to the needs of property owners and managers who wish to accurately track and bill energy usage in multi-tenant environments. It is crucial, however, to be aware of and adhere to local regulations concerning sub-metering in rental settings before implementing this system.
Configuring the Device for Tenant Usage Tracking
Depending on the energy usage setup in your property, the Vue: Gen 3 can be tailored to distinguish between individual and shared meter situations:
- For Tenants with Separate Meters: By installing a Vue: Gen 3 unit in the breaker panel solely used by a tenant, you can monitor their entire energy consumption. The device's total usage data serves as the basis for billing.
- For Tenants with Shared Meters: In scenarios where tenants share a meter, install a Vue: Gen 3 in the communal panel. Additionally, fit 50A CT sensors to each circuit accountable to a tenant. The aggregated data from these sensors reflect the tenant's total energy consumption for billing purposes.
Billing Options Based on Usage
The Vue: Gen 3 enables two main billing approaches, accommodating both fixed rate and Time Of Use (TOU) rate users:
- Fixed Rate Billing: Property managers can input their fixed rate into the Cost/Rate Settings. By setting the Unit of Measurement to Currency, the Vue: Gen 3 will calculate the cost of energy used based on this rate, providing a clear figure for billing.
- Time Of Use (TOU) Rate Billing: If your TOU rate is listed in the NREL database, you can specify this rate in the Cost/Rate Settings. After setting the device's location and selecting the TOU plan, the device will display energy usage costs at the TOU rate in Currency, facilitating accurate billing.
Advanced Data Analysis and Export Features
In addition to real-time monitoring and billing capabilities, the Vue: Gen 3 is equipped with a feature that greatly benefits property managers and landlords seeking in-depth analysis of energy consumption patterns:
Historical Data Export: The Emporia Energy app allows users to export historical electrical usage data in CSV format. This functionality is particularly useful when the app's built-in billing or reporting options do not fully meet specific analytical needs. By exporting this data, users can perform detailed analyses, create custom reports, or integrate the data with other management tools for a more tailored energy usage assessment and billing process.
Considering Device Accuracy and Local Regulations
When implementing a system for billing tenants based on actual energy usage, the accuracy of the measurement device is paramount. The Vue: Gen 3 offers a high level of precision with a few considerations:
Accuracy Specification: The Vue: Gen 3 maintains an accuracy of +/-2% compared to utility provider meters. This level of precision ensures that energy usage data is reliable for billing purposes, offering a fair and transparent way to allocate energy costs among tenants.
Local Jurisdiction Requirements: It is important to note that some local jurisdictions have specific accuracy requirements for devices used in sub-metering tenant energy usage. Therefore, property owners and managers are strongly advised to investigate these requirements to ensure compliance. The Vue: Gen 3's accuracy level meets the standards for many locations, but confirming compatibility with local regulations is a crucial step in setting up a lawful and effective sub-metering system.
Emporia's Commitment to User Satisfaction
Emporia Energy is dedicated to enhancing user experience and utility through our products. The introduction of the Vue: Gen 3 home energy monitor underscores our commitment to providing innovative solutions for energy management. Should you have any feedback or require further clarification on using the device, our Customer Support team is readily available to assist and incorporate your suggestions into our knowledge base, ensuring that we continually meet your energy management needs.
Our goal is to equip you with all the necessary information to optimize your energy usage and management strategies effectively.