Schneider’s Square D Rolls Out New Option for BCPM
The PowerLogic Branch Circuit Power Meter can now monitor branch circuits and mains in power distribution units and remote power panels.
Energy management innovator Schneider Electric announced a new option of its Square D PowerLogic Branch Circuit Power Meter (BCPM) family this week. Now, the BCPM can monitor branch circuits and mains in power distribution units and remote power panels. The PowerLogic BCPM was previously available only with solid-core CT strips, which provide low-current monitoring in its class for new applications.
With the addition of a new split-core CT option, the PowerLogic BCPM offers more installation flexibility. The company says it is now ideal for retrofit applications.
Both versions of the PowerLogic BCPM give a granular view of power and energy for accurate cost allocation and infrastructure optimization in a data center environment. “In an industry where downtime can cost several million dollars per hour,” Schneider states in a press release submitted to EH Publishing, “the PowerLogic BCPM provides an accurate view of an electrical system.”
The PowerLogic BCPM helps data centers use existing capacities more efficiently by providing power and energy usage information down to the circuit level. Its current monitoring runs from .25 amp to 100 amps.
The BCPM also features customizable alarms so that channel pros can set sensitivity parameters whereby an alarm would be triggered should a load approach its breaker limit. Lee Featherstone, Schneider’s national sales manager, says uptime is the highest priority in the industry. “The PowerLogic BCPM provides a window into electrical distribution systems that is often untapped but is very valuable.”
The installation design of the split-core CT PowerLogic BCPM enables installation inside or outside any major manufacturer’s power distribution unit or remote power panel. Since the PowerLogic BCPM monitors both branch circuits and mains up to 84 circuits per device, it saves valuable space and lowers installation and monitoring costs.
“The power and energy data that the PowerLogic BCPM provides allows data centers to properly charge their customers for their per rack energy consumption,” adds Featherstone. He calls that feature a “far more accurate method than assigning a general energy charge per section of assigned space.”
The PowerLogic BCPM is compatible with such PowerLogic software as PowerLogic ION Enterprise, PowerLogic SCADA, and PowerLogic System Manager software. PowerLogic software from Schneider Electric makes decision-making easy by managing, analyzing, and trending the large amount of data gathered by the PowerLogic BCPM.
