How to Wire a KWh Meter Base

Supplying electricity to multiple service sites or facilities is accomplished by wiring kilowatt-hour (kWh) meters through a central base. Each meter receives and distributes the electrical service lines, monitors the amount of electricity used and provides a readout of the consumption. Electrical service from the utilities company is available in both two- and three-line service but most service occurs in the three-line variety. Each meter includes an electronics package, one or more transformers for current and one or two electromechanical displays. Wiring a meter to the electrical service is always done the same way, with slight variations based on the number of service lines.

KWh meter
Meter enclosure
200-amp circuit breaker
#18 gauge wire
Soldering iron
Solder
Gel-filled wire nuts

Instructions

- 1
  Create a drawing of the placement of each of the components of the meter. The design of the meter provides the ability to locate the components of the system in different geographic locations up to 500 feet apart. Typically, the base meter enclosure is located near the point of service from the utility company. The current transformers and displays are located closer to the facility or site that receives electricity from the meter.
- 2
  Mount the meter enclosure at the location determined to receive the power lines from the utility. Each meter connects to a single set of power lines and each meter enclosure may accommodate up to 24 meters. This means that each meter enclosure can distribute up to 24 sets of power lines to up to 24 different sites or facilities.
- 3
  Place a 200-amp circuit breaker in-line on each service line prior to the meter to prevent the theft of power by circumventing the meter and to allow for the shutdown of service.
- 4
  Extend the transformer lines from the location point of the current transformers and connect them to the indicated points on the meter. The distance between these two points can be up to 500 feet.
- 5
  Extend the display lines from their location back to the meter. While these reside most often near the site of power provision for each site, you can centrally locate them as well.
- 6
  Complete the connections between each power line and meter input using solder or gel-filled wire nuts, depending on the particular application and configuration. If you are replacing your meter or enclosure, use the connection method of the old unit. If the lines are connected using solder, then install the new meter using soldered connections. During the initial hookup of the meter you can use wire nuts to check the operation of the meter and the connection, but for long-term reliable connections soldered connections will work best.
- 7
  Connect the current transformer leads from each of the lines to the transformer inputs on the meter, which are clearly marked on the body.
- 8
  Connect the display lines in the same manner to their outputs from the meter.

How to Install Batten Insulation When the Studs Are Wider Than 16 Inches

Hydronic Baseboard Heating Calculations

Energy Efficient Homes