Questions answered by: Bureau de la Métrologie

About: The Bureau de la Métrologie (BM) within the Directorate General of Enterprises (DGE) is part of the Ministry in charge of industry. The BM defines the general rules of legal metrology, prepares regulations, surveys designated and notified bodies, coordinates metrological controls, market surveillance, and the work done by the DIRECCTE, and participates in European or international meetings.

Q: Do colocation providers have to use MID certified energy meters when billing customers for their energy usage?

A: Yes, any customer being billed for any quantity of electricity supplied must be billed through an approved meter. Electricity meters in residential, commercial and light industrial must be MID certified.

Q: Are ‘Billing grade’ or ‘ANSI’ approved meters approved for the billing of electricity?

A: No, all meters must be approved either under French national legislation, or under the MID.

Q: Are there any special requirements when billing colocation customers with a power usage in the range of 0-99kW and +100kW?

A: There is no minimum requirement for billing. However the MID is only applicable to electricity meters used in residential, commercial and light industrial. For heavy industrial, electricity meters should be certified according to “Arrêté du 1er août 2013 relatif aux compteurs d’énergie électrique active” and their accuracy equivalent to class 0.2S defined in standards EN 62052-11:2003 & EN 62053-22:2003. The limit between light and heavy industry is not clearly defined in the regulation.

Q: Is a periodical verification required once the MID meter is installed?

A: Electricity meters should be verified every 10 years. It could be a unit verification or statistical method of sampling with conditions: electrical energy meters should be divided into homogeneous lots with similar metrological characteristics by the company taking responsibility for the group of instruments in service within a defined area. The lots should be validated by French authorities. The minimal sample and the acceptance criteria are defined in arrêté du 1er août 2013.

Q: We just charge a flat rate per contracted Amp or kW and not per kWh, must we use MID?

A: If a customer is being billed for the quantity of electricity supplied, they must be billed through an approved electricity meter.

Q: Is there a fine for non-compliance with the MID legislation?

A: Yes, a company that uses a non-compliant measuring instrument for the billing of electricity can be fined.

Q: How can one tell if the meter is MID certified?

A: MID meters are required to carry the CE and metrology “M” markings as shown below:

CE and “M” mark followed by last two digits of the year in which the CE marking was affixed (i.e. 16 = 2016)

XXXX denotes the number of the notified body that is involved in the production control phase.