Downstream meter for outbuilding

[fergusfog]

Hi folks,

I have a new garden office and need to measure leccy used to charge back to the company.

All I need is another downstream meter to tell me the kWh, so would a Landis & Gyr A5235B (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Landis-Gyr-Solar-PV-Meters/dp/B00SRDQ5DS/) or maybe this one - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00I98T13W - do fine?

I guess it's just a case of putting it in-line, and the wiring is simple enough for an IT person to do?

Ferg.

 

[Marvo]

Does it need to be a 0.5 or 1 class metering device? If you don't need a high accuracy class device it would be easier to use one of these and they're designed to be installed by home owners.

 

[fergusfog]

Does it need to be a 0.5 or 1 class metering device? If you don't need a high accuracy class device it would be cheaper to use one of these and they're designed to be easily installed by home owners.

Thanks marvo,

I wanted something like that for the convenience, but people report errors of up to 30%, which is just ridiculous.
If you know of one that is deffo accurate (+- maybe 5-10%) that would be fine, but no point buying one that just estimates!

 

[Marvo]

If they're set up properly they're usually accurate to 5% easily. You need to set the voltage in the Owl program to the actual voltage of your supply and if you're running air conditioning or other motor loads or even a lot of power supplies for IT equipment you need to set the power factor to something suitable (maybe 0.8) in the Owl program as well. If there's a 30% inaccuracy I could only guess they haven't fitted the clamp sensor properly, I've had dealings with over a dozen of these Owl units of varying models, single and 3-phase and they've all been accurate within 5%.

 

[fergusfog]

Okay, I'll try the Intuition-E and make sure I install it properly.
Thanks again.

 

[fergusfog]

Hey Marvo,

I got this Owl thing but it's for standard thickness cables - I have armoured cable going out to the garden - so it won't fit. I put it inside the fuse box and wrapped it around the live and neutral but it's not registering anything.
Am I being daft, or perhaps I should stick it on the live only...? (It should work, cos it normally goes round all 3 wires!)

F.

 

[Darkwood]

Be careful what you buy here, not all meters can be used for billing, you will need a certified meter MID approved.

Most of the meters you find cheap and just offering you readouts cannot legally be used for billing purposes, you may find yourself in a legal wrangle just buying anything you come across that looks suitable.

 

[davesparks]

It is working correctly, you've just fitted it incorrectly.
The CT sensor needs to be around one conductor only so that it can measure the magnetic field around that cable. The magnetic field around the line and neutral combined is 0 as they cancel each other out.

Also if a meter is being used to measure power for charging purposes you may need a meter which is certified for this use

 

[fergusfog]

Okay, I'll stick it around the live.

It's for billing, but just for billing my own company for expenses purposes (it's for a garden office), so should be alright for that purpose?
Should've read the instructions perhaps. ;-)

Regarding cheap meters, I was originally thinking of one of the Landis & Gyr ones that goes in-line, as it were... in this case it might be better. I'll try fiddling around with the Owl first as it's a bit more user friendly.

Thanks,
F.

 

[davesparks]

Expenses implies tax purposes? Better to find out for certain if you need an MID certified meter for that!
A 'proper' electricity meter would be better to be fitted by an electrician for your own safety.

 

[fergusfog]

Yes, tax purposes indeed.
Does the E110 fall into the "MID" category?

 

[davesparks]

Yes, tax purposes indeed.
Does the E110 fall into the "MID" category?

Ask your accountant what is required then, they'll be best placed to advise as you may be able to claim a fixed percentage of your bill rather than counting the kWH
I don't know what an e110 is?

 

[fergusfog]

Sorry, a Landis & Gyr E110 Landis & Gyr - Landis and Gyr E110 5235 Electricity Meter
I thought it was a standard one as I think that's what I have from my leccy company.

 

[davesparks]

Sorry, a Landis & Gyr E110 Landis & Gyr - Landis and Gyr E110 5235 Electricity Meter
I thought it was a standard one as I think that's what I have from my leccy company.

It's pretty standard of you fit meters for a living but I don't!
The spec says it's MID approved so no worries.

 

[fergusfog]

I missed that, sorry

Yeah, it's just red to red, and blue to blue, right? ;-)

 

[davesparks]

I missed that, sorry

Yeah, it's just red to red, and blue to blue, right? ;-)

There's more to it than just the colours, it's very easy to make a small mistake that could start a fire or lead to electric shock. And many ways to not comply with regulations that may impact your insurance