Building Electrical & Capacity
Compare utility meters, shared accounts, submeters, and charger data before a multi-unit building chooses how to track EV charging.
Unit Meter, Common Meter, or Submeter: Planning EV Charging Electricity
The word “metering” can refer to several different things: the utility’s meter and account, a building’s internal meter, or data reported by a charging station. Those records may describe different parts of the electrical system. Knowing which one measures the EV chargers helps a building plan its next electrical and operating decisions.
What each arrangement records
| Arrangement | What it usually measures | Useful for | What it does not settle by itself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident’s utility meter | Electricity supplied to the resident’s account | Charging isolated to a resident’s electrical service, where the wiring and utility arrangement support it | Whether the wiring has capacity, or whether a charger can be connected to a shared parking space |
| Common-area utility meter | Total use on a building common-use account | Charging supplied from common building service | How much each driver used, unless there is additional measurement |
| Separate EV utility meter and account | Total electricity passing through that EV service | Separating EV supply use from another building account | How to divide the total among residents if several chargers share the service |
| Submeter | A downstream portion of a building’s electricity use | Measuring a circuit, area, or charger group behind a utility meter | A separate utility account or automatic permission to bill another person |
| Charger or network data | Charging sessions or equipment-reported energy data | Reviewing sessions, charger use, and operating patterns | The utility account’s complete usage or a substitute for confirming meter accuracy and data limits |
A utility meter records energy for an account and electrical service. A submeter is downstream of that utility meter and measures only part of the system. Charger or network data may help an operator allocate use, but it is a separate data stream. Ask the electrical professional and utility to confirm which meter sees the proposed charging equipment.
Three B.C. utility examples
BC Hydro currently describes three options for multi-unit residential customers in its service area: using an existing common-use account, adding a separate account and meter for all EV charging, or, in some assigned-stall arrangements, installing a separate meter for an individual charger. Under the common-account and separate-EV-account options, a strata that recovers costs from drivers administers that process separately. Its guidance says individual meters require a layout review by an electrical contractor and are not compatible with the described load-management configurations.
These are BC Hydro arrangements, not a Canada-wide metering standard. The individual option may also depend on assigned parking and approval for electrical work. Check the current conditions for the building’s utility and account type.
Questions to answer before choosing
- Which utility account and electrical service will supply the chargers?
- Does that meter also supply hallways, lifts, ventilation, or other common equipment?
- Will one shared meter cover all charging, or will there be measurement by charger, stall, or circuit?
- Who can access utility, submeter, or charger-session records, and how long will those records be kept?
- Can the proposed meter arrangement work with the load-management design?
- Which building, utility, accounting, privacy, or local rules govern cost recovery?
Metering is one input to an operating model. It does not by itself determine who may bill whom, what rate is fair, or whether a wiring arrangement has capacity. For those choices, continue to the guide on metering and billing for shared charging and include the system layout in the building capacity assessment.