Multiple CT meter install

[flash_bang]

Hi there

Long term reader first time writer. Hello! Anyways I'm an electrical contractor and have been asked to quote for a job within an office block. I'm not after help with prices maybe just someone to come back with a few ideas.

The building is 4/5 floors with each floor sub let. There is an electrical intake on the ground floor and a rising busbar chamber starting on the first floor and continuing to the top. Each floor has various tap offs feeding lighting/power/server/a.c boards etc. Currently the only metering is via one digital check meter located in the intake room.

The client would like a meter for each floor within the intake room so each individual floors power usage can be measured. Makes sense to me.

My initial thought was CT meters, however I've never installed mutiple meters with runs over large distances and I'm unsure if this would be ok or even work. Struggling to find much detail online.

Ideas and opinions welcomed. Thanks

 

[Engineer54]

That's an unrealistic solution on a rising bus bar mains. The cost effective solution is to mount conventional meters at each floor, or for each tenant. OK so the owner will have to read each meter, but that is far preferable to having multiples of CT wiring being routed down to the main intake/meter position. Any breaks in the CT tails wouldn't be too healthy either...

 

[snowhead]

Has each floor got 1 single tap off the bus bar through an isolator for everthing on that floor,

Or several taps off the bus bar.

If it's the first, metering is possible, if it's the second, you'll struggle to get a true reading for each floor.

 

[Engineer54]

Has each floor got 1 single tap off the bus bar through an isolator for everthing on that floor,

Or several taps off the bus bar.

If it's the first, metering is possible, if it's the second, you'll struggle to get a true reading for each floor.

You wouldn't normally have several taps off a rising bus bar installation at each floor to supply several tenants. You only need one tap supplying for arguments sake, something like a Ryefield (spelling?) board or a chamber style bus bar, into switch fuses. Distribution and metering for several tenants can then be easily accommodated.

 

[snowhead]

You wouldn't normally have several taps off a rising bus bar installation at each floor to supply several tenants. You only need one tap supplying for arguments sake, something like a Ryefield (spelling?) board or a chamber style bus bar, into switch fuses. Distribution and metering for several tenants can then be easily accommodated.

If the building was built for a single tennant you might.

The reason I queried it was the fact the O.P said each floor has various tap offs.

.

 

[Engineer54]

If the building was built for a single tennant you might.

The reason I queried it was the fact the O.P said each floor has various tap offs.

.

Perhaps the OP can elaborate on what he means by his term ''various tap offs'' ??

I can't see any reason why there would be more than one main tap off, for each floor. The supplies, (in any configuration) can then be accommodated via the method i outlined above...

 

[chocca]

We've just do something similar for a client. The bus bar was tapped four times on each floor (one for lighting, one for power for each wing of the building). Our client wanted to sublet/split the floor so we had to divvy up the boards so each one had lighting / power. We then fitted 4 sets of ct's and meters to the floor.

Thing is, that's the only floor like that. The others have some fancy-dan meters that "report" back to the buildings computermerator in reception. No long wire runs and no need for the lazy tinker behind the desk to have to walk to the lift to get a meter reading, he just presses a button.

If only the landlord wasn't as tight as a ducks whotsit we could maybe have rigged up a similar system for him...

 

[flash_bang]

Hi everyone

Thanks for responses. I didn't see any for a couple of days so pretty much gave up on it.

Correct! the building was originally single occupancy. Each floor is now let to individual companies hence the idea for metering. Client requests meters to be located in one position and is aware of considerable cost. Each floor does have various fused tap offs supplying lighting/power a/c etc. I agree conventionally metering on each floor is a lot more cost effective. Don't do a great deal of metering but like a challenge but cannot find much info on the net. Realistically though, do you think what I'm suggesting would work?

 

[Engineer54]

We've just do something similar for a client. The bus bar was tapped four times on each floor (one for lighting, one for power for each wing of the building). Our client wanted to sublet/split the floor so we had to divvy up the boards so each one had lighting / power. We then fitted 4 sets of ct's and meters to the floor.

Thing is, that's the only floor like that. The others have some fancy-dan meters that "report" back to the buildings computermerator in reception. No long wire runs and no need for the lazy tinker behind the desk to have to walk to the lift to get a meter reading, he just presses a button.

If only the landlord wasn't as tight as a ducks whotsit we could maybe have rigged up a similar system for him...

Never installed more than 2 tap off's per floor, one for general needs and another for HVAC, can't really see the point of having 4 tap off's, unless originally designed for multiple occupancies. Even then, all could have been accommodated via a single tap-off and a ryefield DB...

 

[chocca]

Never installed more than 2 tap off's per floor, one for general needs and another for HVAC, can't really see the point of having 4 tap off's, unless originally designed for multiple occupancies. Even then, all could have been accommodated via a single tap-off and a ryefield DB...

It was a shiny, spanking new building that had its electrics designed and installed by one of the country's biggest contractors (rhymes with Ben Dee Gailey) and I guess , if things aint changed since I did my apprenticeship with them, they'd have put a D/B in for every socket and light fitting given a chance.