information bulletin meter communications reference … · 2018-07-20 · meter communications....

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INFORMATION BULLETIN

ISSUE DATE: 2016 MARCH 07

BUILDERS SCOPE FOR CONDUIT INSTALLATION FOR BC HYDRO

METER COMMUNICATIONS

REFERENCE

- Requirements for Secondary Voltage Revenue Metering (750v or less) (March 2015 edition, Section 3.2)

- BC Hydro Electric Tariff Sections 4.1 and 4.2

OVERVIEW

BCH revenue meters must be able to transmit data to and from the BCH IT network. The data is transmitted by radio frequency (similar to cell phones). Radio frequency waves cannot transmit through concrete, metal, or earth; therefore some buildings will require a conduit to enable meter communication through wires. When additional conduit is required, the electrical conduit and Termination box(es) shall be supplied and installed by the customer to provide a pathway for the exclusive use of BC Hydro in order to aid in meter communications.

All material and connections from the Termination box to the meter is the responsibility of BC Hydro.

NOTE:

1. This Information Bulletin is to provide additional clarity to the metering communication requirements from the March 2015 issue of the Requirements for Secondary Voltage Revenue Metering.

2. The next revision of the Requirements for Secondary Voltage Revenue Metering may include updates to the information in this bulletin and the customer will be required to conform to the requirements in the latest revision.

Use only for doing work with or for BC Hydro. Complete Legal Acknowledgement is at www.bchydro.com/distributionstandards.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR METER COMMUN ICATION

a) General:

At least one meter inside an electrical room shall be mounted as per section 6.16;

Exterior meter(s), not mounted inside a metal enclosure, no conduit arrangement is required for the purpose of meter communication;

Meter(s) inside wood frame construction above grade, no conduit arrangement is required for the purpose of meter communication;

When a meter or group of meters are located below grade or at grade in locations where one or more concrete structures separates line of sight from the meter to the exterior of the building, then electrical conduit(s) shall be supplied from the meter or group of meters and installed by the customer to provide a pathway for the exclusive use of BC Hydro in order to aid in meter communications as per following applications and specifications;

b) Conduit Applications for meter communication:

Meter(s) below grade require conduit(s); Concrete and/or metal clad buildings require conduit(s); Mixed wood / concrete and any other structure not covered above, requires

consultation with BC Hydro Design prior to any design work;

c) Conduit Requirements:

i) Concrete buildings having a single meter room at or below grade or wood frame buildings having a single meter room below grade; the conduit shall be run from the meter room to an exterior wall as per section 6.17. The determination of which exterior wall the conduit Termination box is mounted on shall be as follows;

o For buildings with neighbouring buildings on one or more sides, it shall be the exterior wall which has line of sight to its neighbor across the street or across the alley, but If no neighbours are across the street or alley, then the closest neighbor from any side of the building; except when that neighbor immediately to the side is a concrete or metal clad building; then the termination box should be on the wall facing the street or alley.

o For a building with an underground parkade, the exterior Termination box can be mounted under the parkade entrance overhang if;

i. it faces neighbours across the street or alley from the parkade entrance; and ii. . it is within two metres of the parkade entrance opening; and iii. . it is outside of the parkade entrance gate; and iv. . it is a minimum of two metres from any planned parkade entrance gate controller or sensor.


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ii) If the building contains more than one meter room on the same level, or below grade, conduits shall be run to connect each meter room in a star or daisy chain configuration to the main meter room as per section 6.18. The main meter room shall also include the conduit to the exterior of the building as per section 6.17.

iii) The main meter room would be the meter room closest to grade level containing

one or more Transformer-Type Meter Sockets and/or house meter.

iv) In addition to the requirements above, meter closets on multiple levels shall be interconnected via a daisy chain of conduits run vertically from one closet on one level to one meter closet on the next level with the conduit terminating in each meter closet as per section 6.19.

o If any floor above grade has more than one meter closet on that floor, each containing a meter closet, conduit shall be run horizontally from the additional meter room/closets to the meter room/closet containing the vertical daisy chained conduits as per section 6.19

o Conduits are not required beyond the 7th floor metering closet, If there is no metering closet on the 7th floor the conduits shall be run to the 6th floor metering closet.

v) Conduits entering each meter closet and meter room shall be terminated in a Termination box and multiple conduits into the room or closet can be terminated in the same box (maximum 4 conduits per box) as per section 6.17.

vi) Soft copy, dimensioned PDF drawing(s) shall be provided by the customer to BC Hydro prior to construction showing conduit configurations, terminations and pull boxes. BC Hydro conduits for the use of BC Hydro Meter Communications shall be clearly labelled on the drawing(s).

All material requirements for installation of conduit and Terminations box(s) are the responsibility of the customer. Each Termination box and conduit shall be permanently marked/labelled for exclusive use of BC Hydro Meter Communications.


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d) Conduit Specifications: Conduit(s) within meter rooms shall be metallic, with an inside diameter not

less than 35.00 mm (or 1¼ inch trade size) installed per CEC and local Building Code. If the conduit(s) will be run within a concrete slab, it may be non-metallic Coreline (ENT) or rigid PVC. The conduit from the meter room shall be run from a location as close as practical or within 2 m of a Transformer-Type Meter Socket. (House meter preferred).

The conduit termination on the exterior of the building shall be not less than

2.75m or more than 4 m above finished grade, with a minimum amount of bends. The maximum degree of bends between Termination/pull boxes shall not exceed 270°, and if the maximum length between Termination boxes exceeds 100 m, an additional pull box is required. Each end of the conduit will terminate in a 150x150x150 mm (minimum) metallic enclosure ( m e t e r r o o m t e r m i n a l ) with a cover for future use by BC Hydro to install signaling cables. All metallic enclosures inside meter rooms must be bonded (with min #10 Cu). A maximum of 4 conduits can terminate in one Termination box. Each conduit shall be equipped with a continuous length of poly pull string and identified and labelled as for use by “BC Hydro Meter Communications”. Each conduit label will also specify the location of the other end of the conduit.

Per CEC, part I and local Building Codes, Termination boxes shall be suitable for the environment in which they are placed.

There has to be min 0.3 m separation distance between the meter base and closest obstruction/equipment

Each termination/pull box located inside the building and shall be securely fastened to the wall with sufficient room for an additional Termination box.

If no Transformer-Type meter socket is present in the meter room or closet, the conduit shall run from a location within 2 m of any BC Hydro meter socket present at that location (house meter preferred). If multiple Transformer-Type meter sockets are present in the meter room, the conduit shall be run from a location within 2m of the house meter (preferred).


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6.16 General Arrangement of Meter Inside Meter Room

BUILDING

ORIENTATE THE METERS TO FACE THE

OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING TOWARDS

THE METER POPULATION AND AWAY

FROM GRADE

METER ROOM

INSIDE BUILDING

ENTRANCE

Notes: At least one meter socket in the electrical room shall be mounted in such location as shown above, facing an exterior wall preferably without obstruction.


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6.17 Single Meter Room Conduit Arrangement


6.18 Multiple Meter Rooms Conduit Arrangement

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MAIN

TERMINATION BOX ON

BUILDING EXTERIOR

MAIN

METER

ROOM 2

METER

ROOM 1

CONDUIT BETWEEN

METER ROOMS

35mm CONDUIT

MAXIMUM 270” OF

BENDS MAXIMUM

100m

CONDUIT AS

PER 6.17

ALTERNATE

ARRANGEMENT

SEE NOTE BELOW RE:

ALTERNATE CONDUIT ROUTING

MAIN

METER

ROOM 3

NOTES:

- ALTERNATE OPTION IS TO RUN CONDUIT FROM METER ROOM 2 TO METER ROOM 3 IN A DAISY CHAIN CONFIGURATION, INSTEAD OF

METER ROOM 1 TO METER ROOM 3.

- CONDUIT TO TERMINATE IN METER ROOMS/CLOSETS AS PER 6.17.

BUILDERS SCOPE FOR CONDUIT INSTALLATION MULTIPLE METER ROOM


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6.19 Multiple Meter Rooms on Multiple Levels Conduit Arrangement

KEY

35mm CONDUIT MAX 270” OF BENDS EQUIPPED WITH PULL STRING, MAX 100m

TERMINATION BOX IN METER ROOM OR BUILDING EXTERIOR AS PER 6.17

Note: Conduits are not required beyond the 7th Floor.

FL5

FL4

METER

CLOSET

FL3

FL2

FL1

GROUND LEVEL

MAIN

METER

ROOM 1

METER ROOM 2

P1

METER ROOM 3

P2

ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENT

BUILDERS SCOPE FOR CONDUIT INSTALLATION

MULTIPLE METER ROOM


information bulletin meter communications reference … · 2018-07-20 · meter communications....

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