How to Separate a Basement Electric Meter

Bolt a sub-panel housing to the wall at an accessible location in the basement. Screw the meter housing to the wall nearby. If there is room for it, the best place for the meter is just above the panel, but you can install it next to it or even below it.

Run a length of 8-gauge, 3-conductor electric cable between the sub panel and the meter housing. Feed one end through a knockout hole in the panel, and the other end into the meter housing.

Strip 10 to 12 inches of sheathing from both ends of the cable, separate the wires and strip an inch of insulation from both ends of the black, red and white wires with a wire stripper.

Connect the black wire to one of the brass bus bars in the panel and the red wire to the other. The wires are interchangeable, so it doesn't matter to which bar you connect either one. Connect the white wire to the silver bus bar, and the ground wire, which is bare, to the ground bus. Loosen the lug on each bar with a screwdriver, insert the end of the wire, and tighten the lug.

Connect the black and red wires to the bottom pair of lugs in the meter housing. Leave the white and bare wires unconnected.

Run another length of electrical cable between the meter and the main panel. Open the panel door, switch off the main breaker, unscrew the cover and feed the cable into the panel through a knockout hole.

Strip sheathing from the cable in the panel, separate the wires and strip insulation from the ends of the insulated ones. Feed the white wire into an available lug on the silver bus and tighten the lug. Connect the ground wire to the ground bus in the same way.

Feed the end of the black wire into the lug on one of the breakers of a 60-amp, double-pole breaker and tighten the lug. Feed the red wire into the lug of the other breaker in the same way. Snap the breaker into an available slot on the front of the panel, then turn the breakers off. Replace the panel cover and turn on the main breaker.

Connect the ends of the black and red wires coming from the panel to the top pair of terminals in the meter housing. The black wire should be above the black wire going to the sub panel, and the red wire above the corresponding red wire.

Twist the two white wires together with pliers and screw on a wire cap large enough to accommodate them. Twist the ground wires together, leaving one end longer than the other, and connect the long end to the ground terminal.

Push the wires into the housing, snap on the meter and secure the ring that holds it in place with a screwdriver.

Wire all the circuits you want to monitor to the sub panel, connecting each with an appropriate circuit breaker. When all the wiring is complete, turn on the 60-amp breakers in the main panel to energize the sub panel.