DENT Cloud Issue: 03

Meeting Today’s Sustainability Goals

The DENT Current: Today’s Sustainability Goals

As climate impacts become increasingly visible worldwide, it’s essential to recognize the role of our buildings. Currently, 42% of global carbon emissions stem from building construction and operations. With the global building floor area projected to double by 2060, the need for sustainable practices in this sector is more pressing than ever. Fortunately, a range of certification systems, like LEED and ASHRAE, set standards to guide these efforts, and initiatives such as the Federal Buy Clean program are taking bold steps toward cleaner, greener construction materials.


Thank you for joining us on this journey to power the future.

ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) is a professional organization focused on advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.  ASHRAE 90.1 sets the bar for energy-efficient building design, providing guidelines that help buildings reduce energy use, focusing on two key metrics:

  • Energy Use Intensity (EUI) – Tracks how much energy a building uses per square foot, giving managers a clear efficiency baseline

  • Total Electrical Energy Use (kWh) – Measures overall electricity consumption to spot trends and find areas for improvement


ASHRAE requires submetering in critical areas like HVAC, lighting, and receptacle circuits, with data recorded every 15 minutes and reported regularly. This helps building managers get real-time insights into energy patterns, reduce waste, and lower carbon footprints across the board.


By following these standards, organizations can stay on top of their energy goals and make smarter, data-driven decisions.

ASHRAE 90.1 for Installers


For ASHRAE 90.1 projects, installers and integrators need to ensure each circuit and meter is set up to meet compliance and optimize energy tracking.

Per-Circuit Requirements

  • Dedicated Submetering – Track HVAC, lighting (interior and exterior), and receptacle circuits separately to provide a detailed energy breakdown.

  • Individual Load Monitoring – Independent tracking of high-demand systems (like HVAC) versus smaller loads helps pinpoint energy usage and potential savings.

Per-Meter Requirements

  • Frequent Data Collection – Configure meters to capture energy data every 15 minutes for real-time monitoring and quick response to any issues. DENT PowerScout HD meters meet this requirement by default.

  • Detailed Reporting – Meters should support hourly, daily, monthly, and annual reporting, with data stored for at least 36 months.

  • Centralized Data Access – Ensure data is accessible through the Building Management System (BMS) or a centralized platform like DENTCloud, so it’s available to building managers and tenants for transparent reporting.


By using DENT meters, installers can meet ASHRAE 90.1 standards with confidence, setting up buildings for efficient, compliant energy management.

DENT’s Sustainability Journey

At DENT Instruments, sustainability is not just a buzzword, it’s our core business. Our products and services enable customers to measure, control, and reduce their energy consumption, but our commitment to sustainability goes beyond that. We are determined to deliver high-quality products with a long technical lifetime, ensuring that your investment in us is sustainable. Our structured approach to sustainability creates long-term value and ensures profitability, a reassurance of our unwavering commitment to sustainability.


We work with several sustainability frameworks, which will guide us toward a more sustainable future:

Learn more about our journey at https://www.dentinstruments.com/sustainability/

Sustainability + DENTCloud =

Centralized Energy Data

DENTCloud provides a centralized solution for organizations to collect, track, and report on sustainability goals across multiple locations—all in one place.

  • Real-Time Data Access – Monitor submetering data across all locations instantly

  • Simplified Reporting – Aggregate energy use, track demand, and view trends at a glance

  • Compliance Ready – Easily meet ASHRAE, LEED, and other sustainability standards

  • Secure, Long-Term Storage – Keep data safe and accessible for transparent reporting

  • Drive Measurable Impact – Effortlessly showcase progress toward your environmental goals



Have a question?

Ask the DENT Sales team!



Dent Instruments has an exceptional customer success and account management team available to handle any questions.


DENT Cloud Issue: 02

Data Centers: Powering the Future

The DENT Current: Data Centers are Powering the Future

It’s no secret that the demand for cloud computing and AI continues to surge as data centers are rapidly expanding across the globe. In fact, the global data center market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2% from 2022 to 2030, with the growth even further fueled by increasing digital transformation, IoT devices, and 5G networks. These facilities are critical to the modern digital economy, but they also come with significant energy demands. In this edition, we’ll explore how data centers can benefit from electrical submetering and how the DENTCloud and API can help optimize energy use.


Thank you for joining us on this journey to power the future.


The Rising Energy Demands of AI

Why Data Centers Need Electrical Submetering

Given their massive energy demands, submetering is crucial for optimizing operations and reducing costs in data centers. Key benefits include:

  • Rack Tenant Billing: Submetering provides precise tracking of tenant energy use at the rack or server level, enabling operators to rebill tenants based on actual consumption, ensuring transparency and cost recovery.

  • Load Shedding & Peak Demand Management: Real-time energy data allows operators to manage non-critical loads during peak demand periods, avoiding surcharges and keeping usage within negotiated limits.

  • Power Quality Issue Detection: Meters like the PowerScout HD offer programmable alarms that trigger when voltage sags occur. These alarms can automatically shut down equipment to protect sensitive systems from damage.

  • Power Factor Monitoring: Monitoring power factor through submeters helps identify inefficiencies. A declining power factor can indicate equipment failure, allowing proactive maintenance and reducing the risk of unexpected outages.

  • Green Energy Integration: As data centers increasingly adopt solar power, submeters can track how much power is generated and used from renewable sources, helping operators monitor and report on green energy contributions.

  • Monitoring Critical Loads: Submetering provides continuous monitoring of essential loads, such as servers, helping detect inefficiencies or potential failures early, minimizing downtime.

  • HVAC Optimization: Submetering enables efficient HVAC monitoring, ensuring energy-saving cooling and maintaining the optimal thermal environment for equipment, reducing waste and improving overall system efficiency.


Cloud, Meet Cloud


Have a question?

Ask the DENT Sales team!



Dent Instruments has an exceptional customer success and account management team available to handle any questions.

Newsletter References

  • Grand View Research. (2022). Data Center Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report. Read here.

  • Cisco. (2022). Global Cloud Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2021–2026. Read here.

  • Fortune. (2024, September 27). OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calls for nuclear power to fuel AI’s growing 5GW data center power requirements. Fortune Article



DENT Cloud Issue: 01

Electrical Tenant Billing

The DENT Current: Tenant Billing / Revenue-Grade CTs

We’re excited to bring you the first edition of our new monthly newsletter, The DENT Current. In each issue, we’ll keep you updated on the latest industry news and regulatory changes, offer insights into our products, and share practical tips to help you optimize energy management.


We’ve kicked off this first issue with a focus on revenue grade products for tenant billing—a topic many of you have asked about. If there’s a subject you’d like us to cover in future issues, please let us know! The DENT Current is here to provide the insights and information that are most relevant to you.


Thank you for joining us on this journey to power the future.

What is “Revenue Grade”?

Revenue grade refers to the high level of accuracy required for metering devices used in billing and financial transactions like tenant billing. Achieving system accuracy relies on the precision of both the meter and the current transformer (CT).


The DENT PowerScout HD line of submeters is held to an exceptionally high accuracy standard, with an error of less than 0.2% across all models.


Finding revenue-grade CTs can be challenging due to ambiguous testing. At DENT, we address this by setting our own high standards for what “revenue grade” means, rigorously testing CTs against IEEE C57.13 Class 0.3 or Class 0.6 specifications to ensure they meet the expectations for billing applications. IEEE C57.13 compliance does NOT, however, necessarily mean that a CT meets the stringent testing requirements for ANSI C12.20.


ANSI C12.20 mandates that the meter and CT must be tested together as a system with a combined error of less than 0.5%. Only CTs with the highest repeatable accuracy are selected for these tests. Some municipal bodies such as California’s CTEP or New York’s PSC require ANSI C12.20 certification to be considered for their “approved submeter” lists.



Find Us at These Upcoming Tradeshows!


Catch DENT Instruments at the following tradeshows this fall:

  • RE+ in Anaheim, CA, September 9-12 – We’ll be attending!

  • NECA in San Diego, CA, September 29 – October 1 – Look for us there!

  • AEE World in Nashville, TN, September 25-27 – Visit us at Booth #116!

  • Greenbuild in Philadelphia, PA, November 12-15 – We’ll be attending!


We look forward to seeing you there!




Meet the DENT Sales team!



Dent Instruments as an exceptional customer success and account management team available to handle any questions.