Why should efficient units pay for heavy users?
When boiler gas or central chiller cooling is shared, unfair bills trigger complaints and hours of manual work. Bruntab measures each unit’s actual energy use and turns it into transparent individual bills.
A shared bill is more than a number—it starts the same dispute every season
When each unit’s actual consumption is invisible, residents lose trust in the bill and building managers are left defending an estimate.
Resident complaints every season
Heating and cooling bills become a recurring issue in meetings and building chats.
Unfair cost distribution
Floor area or occupancy does not reliably represent the energy a unit actually used.
Low and heavy users pay alike
Residents who conserve energy still subsidize units with much higher consumption.
Hours of manual calculations
Collecting readings, maintaining spreadsheets, and correcting bills consumes management time.
Energy costs keep increasing
Without consumption data, identifying waste in the boiler room or chiller plant is difficult.
No unit-level visibility
Neither the manager nor the resident can see when or where consumption increased.
Bills are hard to defend
Approximate allocation methods do not create the transparency needed to collect charges.
Delayed billing and collection
Without automation, monthly invoicing and payment follow-up move slowly.
One meter serves the entire building, but no meter shows each unit’s share
Central systems can be efficient, safe, and quiet. The problem begins when the energy delivered to each unit is not measured.
Central boiler and heating systems
A central boiler offers comfort, centralized management, and strong safety. But the building’s main gas bill cannot show how much energy each unit used for winter heating and year-round hot water.
- Allocation by floor area or occupancy does not reflect actual use.
- A vacant or efficient unit can pay more than its fair share.
Central chiller cooling
Central chillers, mini-chillers, and VRF systems are popular for efficiency, quiet operation, and reduced in-unit equipment. Yet the electricity bill for a compression chiller or the gas bill for an absorption chiller does not reveal each unit’s cooling demand.
- Temperature, flow, and operating time vary between units.
- Without a BTU meter, cooling costs are distributed by estimate.
The established solution is to measure delivered energy. Consumption allocation has a history of more than a century in Europe and North America. The previous technical content on this page also noted that this approach became mandatory in Europe 32 years ago and in countries such as Turkey and China 10 years ago. Combining central plant with unit-level metering retains comfort and efficiency while reducing maintenance costs and the carbon-monoxide or explosion risks associated with separate in-unit combustion appliances.
Boiler gas and chiller energy cost allocation
In buildings with a central boiler plant and chiller, energy meters and temperature sensors installed on the fan-coil supply and return pipes make it possible to measure each unit’s energy use accurately. Recorded readings are used to calculate each unit’s share of boiler gas and chiller electricity or gas consumption and issue an individual bill.
The online monitoring system also provides live access to temperature, flow rate and other operating parameters, allowing building management to identify high-consumption units and take action to manage usage. As the installation photograph shows, Bruntab cold-water meters, hot-water meters, hot-water return meters and energy meters are installed at each unit’s inlet, after the main isolation valve. Together, these devices accurately measure cold- and hot-water consumption, the thermal energy of domestic hot water, fan-coil heating energy and chiller cooling energy.
In the installation shown, measured data is transmitted to the central system over a single pair of communication wires. After processing, the system calculates each unit’s actual share of water, electricity and gas costs. An individual bill is then issued based on actual consumption and approved tariffs. The system’s calculation algorithms were developed using technical knowledge transferred from Brunata, Denmark, fully adapted to the tariffs and regulations of Iranian water, electricity and gas utilities, and informed by experience from hundreds of projects across Iran.
Related heating and cooling allocation projects
Real buildings using Bruntab energy meters for boiler-room heating and chiller cooling cost allocation.
Residential
Saadat Abad, Tehran
Side Park Residential Complex
Heating, chiller cooling, water and chiller electricity allocation for each unit.
View on Projects page →
Residential
Niavaran, Tehran
Bagh-e Hayat Niavaran Tower
Integrated BTU, water and chiller electricity metering for transparent billing.
View on Projects page →
Residential
Punak, Tehran
Saba Niayesh Residential Complex
Independent energy, water and chiller consumption measurement for building units.
View on Projects page →
Residential
Punak, Tehran
Camila Residential Complex
Water and energy submetering with fair heating and cooling cost distribution.
View on Projects page →Bruntab systems operating in occupied buildings
Two real examples of water and energy submetering in residential properties in Tehran.
Bruntab water and energy submetering at the 96-unit Kamila project in Punak, Tehran
Bruntab water and energy submetering in an 18-unit building in Saadat Abad, Tehran
Simpler for managers, fairer for residents
Consumption transparency shortens the management process and gives residents a direct reason to reduce waste.
Fewer resident complaints
Defensible measured data reduces disputes over allocation methods.
Time savings for managers
Manual reading collection and spreadsheet calculations are removed from billing.
Potential 15–43% reduction
Visible individual consumption can encourage more efficient user behavior.
Central plant optimization
Accurate temperature and flow data helps identify imbalance and waste.
Payback through savings
Reduced energy use can offset the cost of metering equipment.
Stronger property value
Individual energy allocation supports easier sales and professional operation.
How is a BTU meter installed in your building?
Final engineering follows a site survey of risers, supply-and-return valves, available installation space, and communication routes.
Compatible systems
The solution can be engineered for fan coils, radiators, underfloor heating, towel warmers and central cooling circuits.
Communication protocols
Depending on project design, the central reader supports M-Bus, Zigbee, RS485, pulse output or Wireless M-Bus. A wired or wireless connection is selected to suit the building’s infrastructure.
Reports and calculation period
EEMS provides hourly, daily and historical records for authorized accounts. The calculation period follows the building’s main utility-bill period, and energy consumption is reported in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Accurate allocation depends on more than a meter
A dependable result comes from engineering design, stable hardware, billing software, and support throughout operation.
14+ years of experience
Experience delivering consumption-allocation and Building Energy Management solutions across varied properties.
Professional installation
Survey, design, and installation adapted to each building’s risers, pipework, and access conditions.
Reliable hardware
Meters and data readers selected for continuous operation in building plant environments.
Dedicated support team
Specialists assist with commissioning, training, maintenance, and ongoing questions.
What should you know before deciding?
Key questions about retrofitting existing buildings, central boiler plants and energy-metering regulations.
Can energy meters be installed in an existing building?
Yes. If each unit’s heating or cooling supply and return pipes are accessible and there is enough room for the flow meter and sensors, the system can usually be installed without major demolition. Access-panel dimensions, wired or wireless communication routes, and pipe infrastructure are confirmed during the technical survey.
What advantages does a central boiler with energy meters have over individual boilers?
It retains the efficiency, safety, and centralized management of a central plant while solving unfair cost allocation. It also reduces in-unit equipment, maintenance costs, and risks associated with separate combustion appliances.
What does Building Regulation 19 require for measuring and allocating energy use?
The latest revision emphasizes measurement, monitoring, and consumption management. In buildings with central systems such as boiler plants and chillers, suitable equipment should make each unit’s energy use measurable and manageable.
Next season, explain the building’s energy bill with measured data—not an estimate
Ask Bruntab’s engineering team to review your pipework, unit count, boiler or chiller type, and the equipment required for a transparent allocation system.
Request a technical consultation
