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Circuit-Level Energy Metering Multifamily – Fact Sheet

Technical Fact Sheets

Introduction

Multifamily buildings use energy in a wide variety of ways throughout the day, from air conditioning and domestic hot water (DHW) to cooking, lighting, and plug loads. Energy use patterns can vary significantly from one dwelling unit to another, as tenant behavior—including how often they use air conditioning, set their thermostat, and operate appliances—directly impacts energy consumption.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative, multifamily buildings make up 60% of the rental market, representing roughly 27 million households.1 With such a large share of the housing stock made up of multifamily buildings, improving their energy efficiency offers meaningful benefits for both developers and residents.

While energy management systems (EMS) are commonly used to control energy across entire buildings, they are typically limited to tracking whole-building or major system usage, such as central HVAC and service water heating systems. In multifamily settings, these limitations make it difficult to understand exactly where and how energy is being consumed. This is where circuit-
level energy metering comes in. Circuit-level metering addresses this need by enabling real-time monitoring at the circuit level for key building systems and equipment. This approach provides far more granular insights than standard EMS tools.

Circuit-level metering does not save energy on its own. However, it helps identify energy-intensive behaviors, validate decarbonization strategies, and inform smarter decisions. This makes it a valuable tool for any high-performance multifamily project.

How It Works

Circuit-level energy metering involves installing small electrical sensors, called current transducers (CTs), inside the electrical panel of each dwelling unit in a multifamily building. These sensors measure the electrical current flowing through individual circuit wires at a high frequency and can also calculate total panel power. The result is a monitoring system that provides highly detailed, real-time energy data of specific loads like HVAC, DHW, lighting, and other household equipment.

An alternative circuit-level monitoring setup uses smart panels that integrate metering technology directly into the electrical panel. Unlike traditional systems that require individual sensors to be clamped onto each circuit wire, a smart panel is built with these monitoring capabilities already inside.

In both configurations, the collected data is connected and uploaded to the EMS and/or cloud with the ability to be shared with the utility in real time.

What Are the Benefits?

Provides real-time visibility into energy use across systems like HVAC, DHW, and plug loads.
Enables identification of inefficiencies, equipment issues, or unusual usage patterns.
Supports fair billing for shared systems in multifamily buildings, such as central water heating.
Encourages energy-saving behavior by providing tenants with access to their usage data.
Helps meet benchmarking, building performance, and decarbonization goals.
Supplies utilities with granular data to inform grid planning

What Are the Challenges/Constraints?

Must be integrated early into the design process to mitigate costs and coordinate load separation.
Requires education and training on software operations.
May require larger or additional electrical panels since older panels may pose integration or space challenges.
Data-sharing may raise privacy concerns, which require clear policies.

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