Australian industries face ongoing pressure to reduce energy costs due to the changing landscape with the addition and expansion of renewable energy solutions to the Australian market.
With retrofitting into Brownfield sites and green sites, energy metering solutions which are compact, namely DIN-rail energy metering, providing reduced costs, both in installation and space saving*. These meters provide high-quality data into SCADA, EMS and cloud platforms.
Why DIN metering for industrial automation?
DIN meters reduce the required space in switchboards* with smaller enclosures along with multi-circuit metering providing reduced wiring and fewer cut-outs.
Multi-circuit metering also reduces material and labour costs, ideal for brownfield upgrades where space is at a premium.
The compliance landscape
AS 3000 (Wiring Rules)
Australian Standard AS 3000 (Wiring Rules) governs safe installation practices – earthing, protective devices and wiring methods – which directly shape how meters are installed and interconnected in industrial boards.
AS 62052-11
AS 62052-11 sets general requirements and test conditions for electricity metering equipment (mechanical, electrical, marking, EMC and environmental).
AS 62053-22
Accuracy classes (e.g. 0.5S) are defined in AS 62053-22 for transformer and direct connected static active-energy meters.
Together, these standards help ensure the metering data you depend on for billing, reporting and control is both reliable and fit for commercial and industrial environments.
Protocols that interact with software solutions
- At the device and network layers, common protocols may include Modbus RTU / TCP, DNP3, BACnet and IEC 60870-5-101/104 for Utility / SCADA / EMS / BMS software integrated solutions.
- Advanced power quality analysers may add IEC 61850 for substation-grade integration and object-oriented data models.
- IEC 61850 in particular standardises data models and services for real-time monitoring and control in power systems, which can reduce engineering and commissioning time when the application requires it.
Practical guidance: specify IEC 61850 only where it’s required and supported by the chosen meter model; otherwise, Modbus / DNP3 / IEC-60870 often provide all that’s needed with less complexity.
Product-level clarity
SATEC EM133-XM (DIN rail)
SATEC EM133-XM meter is NMI-approved, Class 0.5S accuracy, with RS-485/Modbus and IR interfaces; optional modules provide Ethernet or cellular connectivity depending on the variant.
This is a compact workhorse for industrial boards and sub-metering.
SATEC BFM136 / BFM II (Multi-Circuit Metering)
SATEC BFM136 meter is a NMI-approved, Class 0.5S accuracy, with RS-485 / Ethernet / Modbus with 36 current inputs.
In addition, the BFM II provides a modular metering solution up to 54 current inputs, along with Input/Output (I/O) expansion capabilities.
SATEC PRO Series (Panel / DIN Mounted options)
The SATEC PRO Series consists of advanced analysers with IEC 61850 alongside Modbus / DNP3 / IEC-60870, plus IEC 61000-4-30 Class A or Class S power quality functions; ideal when substation-grade integration or power quality is in scope.
Cloud and Meter Data Management (MDM): from raw readings to decisions
Collecting data is step one; accessing data remotely is where value is understood.
Expertpower, SATEC’s cloud Energy Management Software (EMS/MDM) platform, runs on Microsoft Azure and is designed for large-scale deployments.
It centralises collection, storage and analysis; supports role-based access and dashboards and eliminates the need for on-premises servers.
For Australian industries, this means faster rollouts, lower IT overhead and a consistent way to push insights (alarms, trends, Time of Use (TOU) analysis, power quality events) for billing, energy management and other operations.
The bottom line
With the appropriate meter selection, application strategy along with an Azure-based EMS / MDM like Expertpower, facilities can scale up from a single meter for sub-metering to a wide-scale deployment, including power quality monitoring.
* Space saving comparisons are based on metering applications and hardware model designs.
Talk to our team of experts today about your metering needs.
Frequently Asked Questions - DIN Rail Energy Metering Solutions
What is modular energy metering and why use DIN-rail meters?
Modular energy metering can refer to compact DIN-rail devices that can be added or upgraded in small increments. Being space-efficient and supporting multi-circuit metering, they’re ideal for brownfield upgrades where panel real estate space is tight. As needs grow, additional modules or communication options can be added in, letting sites scale from basic sub-metering to facilities-wide monitoring.
What is Australian standard AS 62052-11?
AS 62052-11 sets general requirements and test conditions for electricity metering equipment, covering mechanical, electrical, EMC, environmental and marking aspects. This standard is a modified adoption of International Standard IEC 62052-11 providing additional functionality of safety and reliability for electricity meters used in Australian regulatory and environmental conditions.
Do I need IEC 61850, or will Modbus / DNP3 / IEC-60870 suffice?
IEC 61850 is valuable when you need substation-grade, power quality devices, object-oriented data models and services that can streamline engineering and commissioning in complex power systems. For many plant automation scenarios, simpler and widely supported protocols – Modbus RTU/TCP, DNP3, or IEC-60870-5-101/104 – deliver everything required for SCADA, BMS, or EMS integration with less complexity. A practical rule is to specify IEC 61850 only when the system architecture explicitly benefits from its model and services and your chosen meter models support it well. Otherwise, align protocol choice to existing systems, network topology, event/reporting needs and team familiarity.
Is there a DIN-rail power quality analyser in Australia?
Yes – DIN-rail power quality analysers are available in Australia, including models with advanced power quality features such as IEC 61000-4-30 Class S / Class A compliance, harmonic analysis (typically to the 50th–63rd), sag/swell and event logging, waveform capture and Ethernet / Modbus communications for easy BMS / SCADA integration. They’re commonly used in commercial buildings, data centres and industrial plants where space is tight but detailed diagnostics are essential.
