The Electrical Engineer - Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers ...

Abstract
Proposed Prepayment Energy-Metering System
for Multi-Tenant Offices and Rented Building
Accommodations
By: Engr. Ferdinand D. Milan
This study can be used as a scheme for the adaptation of an alternative sub-metering system intended for all
commercial buildings with several tenant offices and rented accommodations using a prepayment energy submeter.
This prepayment energy meter provides important benefits to both tenants and building owner (landlord)
during regular working office hours. With prepayment meters, the office tenants can easily manage and control
their energy usage without expecting any future obligation on energy bills like in conventional energy sub-meters.
The prepayment energy meters cancels paper bills and remove disagreement between tenant and the landlord
due to unexpected increase in energy utilization. The prepayment sub-meter to be installed in each office tenant
is designed with magnetic strip card with KW-HR denomination value to validate electrical energy to energize the
office equipment.
Keyword: prepayment energy system, prepaid sub-meter, prepaid denominations, multi-tenant office; energy-user
card
Background
Today, a technology in electric sub-metering like
prepayment meters has been developed. These types of
meters are prepayment electricity that uses the same
concept as prepayment cellular phones and phone cards
in which consumer pay in advance of consumption.
Prepayment energy metering system offers a win-win
proposition especially to the building owners and office
tenants (UtiliSol 2005). The following benefits could
provide by prepayment energy metering system:
• It puts control the usage of electricity in the hands of
consumer where a customer allows making real-time
and informing decisions on their consumption
• Cancels billing dispute and mistakes.
• It improves accelerated cash flow, lowers administrative
costs, theft avoidance, no meter reading and billing
statement is needed.
• Provides cost-effective solution with equitable benefits
to both tenants and landlords.
By installing the prepayment meters, the landlord and
tenants can manage their own consumption and become
more aware of their electricity usage. These prepayment
meters are designed where power is credited to the
meter by means of use-only-once token. This token is a
magnetic strip card that comes in different denominations.
The card is fed into a slot on the front of the meter so
that the value of card is credited. Prepayment energy
system can help mitigate problems on electrical-energy
related carbon emission due to increasing demand on
fossil fuel aside from transportation.
Significance
This research study is intended for all building
establishment designed with multi-offices and rented
building accommodations through the adaptation of
prepayment energy metering system to be used for
possible solution to the disagreement between the
building owner and the tenants especially when tenant
cannot pay their energy bills on time while others leave
their accommodation unnoticeably. For the end-users,
like students with limited budget without expecting
future obligations on electricity bills, and for the office
tenants, to effectively manage and control their operating
energy consumption. This study can be used also by the
government and private sector as a basis to address
problem on increasing demand of fossil fuel and fuel cost
due to uncontrolled electrical energy utilization.
Results and Discussion
TECHNICAL PAPER
Proposed Prepayment Energy Metering System
for Multi-Tenant Offices and Rented Building
Establishment
Figure 1 illustrates the existing electrical distribution
system of STG Building designed with several sub-meters
located on meter cabinet at per floor level while Figure
2 exhibits the proposed electrical distribution system
design with several prepaid sub-meters. Each prepaid
sub-meter is connected with over-current protection at its
line side. This design layout is appropriate for all type of
building structure designed with rented accommodation
like student’s flat which could provide convenience
to both tenant and the landlord, and provide effective
control and management during the operation of office
appliances.
THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER MAGAZINE 3RD QUARTER 2010 29