GUIDELINE FOR
ELECTRICITY METERS:APPROVAL, TESTING AND INITIAL
VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Rev_041

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Revision number
Draft 01/2012

Date
28 August 2012

Revision 01-2013

7 March 2013

Revision 02-2013

28 April 2013

Revision 03-2015

20 August 2015

Revision 04-2016

20 January 2016

Review byApproved by Energy
Commission
Working Group Metering
Guideline & Jabatan
Standard Malaysia
ST & SIRIM QAS

Justification for review

Ratifying for existingprocess

To include additional
requirementforimported meter
Working Group Metering First and schedule
Guideline
omitted from Guideline
Working Group Metering Amendment
Guideline
Accredited Laboratoryrequirement

2CONTENTSPART 1: PRELIMINARY

4PART 2: APPROVAL REQUIREMENT

7

PART 3: TESTING & INITIAL VERIFICATION

13PART 4: GENERAL

15Annex 13

PART 1PRELIMINARYInterpretation

1.

In these Guidelines, unless the context otherwise requires:“Act” means Electricity Supply Act 1990.
“Accredited Laboratory” means a testing facility accredited to MS ISO/IEC 17025 general
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories or other laboratory
recognised by national accreditation and standardisation authority.
“Accredited Certification Bodies” means accredited by Standards Malaysia

Revision01-2013“Accreditation and Standardisation Authority” means Department of Standards Malaysia“Applicant” means any company who is supplied electricity meter to licensee used for thesale of electricity

Revision
01-2013“Authorised Manufacturer” means any company who manufactures electricity meters which
complies with these guidelines and operates a quality management system which conforms
to MS ISO 9001 or equivalent.
“Batch Certification” means conformity assessment requirement for imported meters
through consignment or batch testing“Certificate of Approval” means approved document issued by Commission (In line withregulation 97 of Electricity Regulation 1994)“Certificate of Pattern Approval” means approved document issued by National
Measurement Standard Laboratory“Commission” means Energy Commission, Malaysia.
“Consumer” means as prescribed in the Act

4

Revision
02-2013

“Electricity Meter” means self contained measuring instrument intended to measureelectrical energy continuously by integrating power with respect to time and to store theresult“International Recognised Laboratory” means an international testing and calibrationlaboratory which is accredited by recognised international accreditation and standardization

Revision
01-2013body which signatory to Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) orInternational Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), Mutual Recognition Arrangement(MRA)“Licensee” means as prescribed in the Act“National Measurement Standards Laboratory” means National Metrology Laboratory(NML), SIRIM Berhad“Pattern Approval” means a meter type which has been evaluated and approved by a
National Measurement Standards Laboratory through compliance with International
Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) standards, and by then issued a Certificate of PatternApproval“Product Certification” means a conformity assessment system operated by AccreditedCertification Bodies related to product to which the same product certification requirements,

Revision
01-2013

specified standard and procedure including relevant regulatory provisions apply“Product Certification License” means a document issued by Accredited Certification Bodies
recording the conformance of a product to the specified standard(s) and the Accredited
Certification Bodies certification requirements in accordance to the product certificationagreement“Reference Standard” means electricity measurement standard which traceable to national
standards by periodic calibration interval National Measurement Standards Laboratory“Testing facility” means a combination of meter test bench and working standards, used forthe testing and verification of electricity meters“Transfer Standard” means a Standard that has been verified by comparison to a ReferenceStandard and is used to compare Working Standards indirectly against Reference Standards

5Revision
01-2013

“Type Test Report” means a full type test report issued by an independent accredited test
laboratory recognised by accredited certification bodies“Working Standard” means a standard that has been verified by comparison to a ReferenceStandard or to a Transfer Standard and is used for testing and verification of electricity
meters. Test equipment used for onsite testing and dispute resolution is deemed ‘WorkingStandards’“Year” means calendar year, according to the Gregorian calendar

6Revision01-2013

PART 2
APPROVAL REQUIREMENT
Obligation of Parties to Ensure Fairness
2.

The sale of electricity through electricity meters shall be subjected to practices that

ensure fairness and equity for both the customer and the supplier. Both parties must
understand their rights and responsibilities. Meters and their installation must be practicaland where appropriate, consistent with international standards.
Regulatory Requirement on Electricity Meters
3.

(1) In ensuring all meters when manufacture are in compliance with the regulatory

requirement, reference to Annex 1 stipulate the overall regulatory requirements that need tobe complied with by manufacturer for the electricity meter before it can be installed at any
premises.
(2) With a view to use for trade, the pattern or design of electricity meters shall beapproved by National Measurement Standard Laboratory.
(3) All electricity meters used for billing purposes by a licensee must be certified byAccredited Certification Bodies to show that, when tested, they conformed to the original
pattern approval and operated within the prescribed levels of accuracy.
(4) The licensee shall be supplied with appropriate documentation to certify that all
meters are manufactured and individually tested in accordance with MS Standards, where thestandards states it is applicable to newly manufactured electricity meters and therequirements of this guideline.
Appropriate Meter
4.

For the purpose of subsection (32) (1) of the Act, a meter is appropriate if it complies

with the following requirements;(a)

MS 62053-11: Electromechanical meters for active energy (classes 0.5, 1 and2);(b)

MS 62053-21: Static Meters for active energy (classes 1 and 2);
7

(c)MS 62053-22: Static Meters for active energy (classes 0.2S and 0.5S);(d)

MS 62053-23: Static Meters for reactive energy (classes 2 and 3);(e)

MS 62052-11: Electricity metering equipment (AC) – General requirements,tests and test conditions, Part 11: Metering equipment; and(f)Metering Code as specified in the Malaysian Distribution Code.

Pattern Approval
5.

(1) Before any electricity meters can be manufactured, the authorised manufacturer

shall apply to the National Measurement Standards Laboratory for Pattern Approval, wheresuch approval may include metrological performance and maintaining calibration in therange of operating conditions that is stated in this guideline.
(2) The process for Pattern Approval includes an assessment of the prototype of theelectric meter to ensure that they meet the required standards. Type Test Report of theproduct shall be included.
(3) Once approved, a Certificate of Pattern Approval will be issued by National
Measurement Standards Laboratory. Evaluation report and recommendation for new PatternApproval will then issued by National Measurement Standards Laboratory.

Revision01-2013

Revision
01-2013(4) Any changes to the pattern found during Product Certification audit, shall bereported to National Measurement Standards Laboratory and Commission.

Revision
01-2013(5) The validity of Type Test Report is not more than 10 years and for new application,
the validity period must not less than 1 year.

Revision
03-2015(6) Pattern Approval validity is 10 years.

Revision
04-2016

Certificate of Approval (COA)
6.
(1) The authorised manufacturer shall apply to Commission for new meter to have
Certificate of Approval (COA).

Revision
01-2013(2) The application shall be done with online application through e-Permit. Type Test
Report shall be included and Commission will verify the validity and authenticity of the report.

Revision
01-2013(3) Once approved, a Certificate of Approval will be issued by Commission and must be
renew every year.

Revision
01-20138Product Certification
7.
(1) Accredited Certification Bodies, with the participation of the Commission wherenecessary, will carry out preliminary examination and evaluation of manufacturing productionof electricity meters.
(2) Authorised manufacturer shall submit the Certificate of Pattern Approval or letterof consent from NMSL, Certificate of Approval and Type Test Report during application toAccredited Certification Bodies.

Revision
04-2016(3) Accredited Certification Bodies will evaluate the Type Test Report in whichreferring to stipulated requirements and international standards. The validity of Type Test
Report is not more than 10 years and for new application, the validity period must not lessthan one year.

Revision
01-2013(4) Pre-requisite for the audit, the manufacturer shall have Accredited Laboratory or
the meters shall be calibrated and tested by Accredited Laboratory.

Revision
04-2016(5) Accredited Certification Bodies will perform the audit on the production ofelectricity meters to ensure that the quality system and product conform to the stipulated
requirements and standard. Verification test may be conducted using in depth surveillancemethod according to accredited test laboratory practices.

Revision
01-2013(6) Examination of the facts from the verification tests will be documented in the test
report that will determine the basis for the certification of the product.
(7) Only authorised manufacturer with electricity meters that complies with productcertification processes and received a valid Certificate of Approval by the Commission will
have the right to affix the Accredited Certification Bodies certification mark or label onelectricity meters.
(8) Surveillance audit by Accreditation Certified Bodies with the participation ofCommission where necessary will be performed every year.
(9) Where non-conformity or defects identified in the production process or during
the auditing process control of the electricity meters, Accredited Certification Bodies will
require the manufacturers to do corrective action within a reasonable period of time.
Accredited Certification Bodies will confirm satisfactory action has been implemented by theAuthorised Manufacturer before issuing the product certification license.

9Revision
01-2013

(10) If the action taken is not satisfactory or if additional testing fails to meet specified
criteria, the Accreditation Certified Bodies in consultation with the Commission shall issue a
notice of suspension of production to the manufacturer.
(11) If a Certificate of Approval has been issued, the Commission has the right torevoke or suspend it under the following circumstances:i) if the Authorised Manufacturer has fail to maintain its quality control such thatthe electricity meters installed in the consumers’ premises are found to be ofnon-compliance to the requirement of this guideline;ii) if the Authorised Manufacturer is found to have made false declaration orgiving misleading information;iii) if the Authorised Manufacturer ceases its operation or in the process of windingup;iv) if there is a Court order to the effect of preventing the use of such meter;v) if the usage of the particular meter can pose danger to the consumer;vi) any other circumstances that the Commission feels reasonable to suspend orrevoke in view of public interest.
(12) Once the Certificate of Approval is suspended or revoked, the manufactureris not
permitted tousethe Accredited Certification Bodies certification mark or labels on electricity
meters.
(13) The Authorised Manufacturer shall be required to comply with the Accredited
Certification Bodies procedures with regards to suspension, revocation, withdrawal andtermination of product certification license.

Revision
01-2013

Batch Certification
8.
(1) Every imported electricity meters shall be verified through the batch certification
procedure, performed by Accredited Certification Bodies.

Revision
02-2013(2) Applicant shall submit application to Accredited Certification Bodies with complete
documentation. Document required as mentioned in sub-requirement 7 (2).

Revision
02-2013(3) The evaluation of document by applicant as mentioned in sub-requirement 7 (3).

10

Revision
02-2013

(4) The consignment test shall be performed by sampling method. Approval is given
only to consignments which have satisfactorily gone through the inspection and testingprocess.

Revision
02-2013(5) Only applicant with electricity meters that complies with batch certification
processes and received a valid Certificate of Approval by the Commission will have the rightto affix the Accredited Certification Bodies certification mark or label on electricity meters.

Revision02-2013

Markings
9.

(1) The electricity meter shall be legibly & durably marked as a minimum with thefollowings:a) Manufacturerb) Vnomc) Imaxd) fnome) Ib / Inf) Serial numberg) Number of phasesh) Number of wiresi) Meter constant (s)j) Year of manufacturek) Accuracy classl) Directionality of energy flow if the meter is bidirectional or unidirectional. No
marking is required if the meter is capable only of positive direction of positive
direction energy flowm) Meter typen) The connection mode (s) for which the meter is specifiedo) Connection terminals uniquely identified to distinguish between terminalsp) “Product Certification” mark or labels approved by Commission(2) The marking on the meters shall be indelible, distinct and legible from outside themeter. The markings of electricity meter intended for outdoor locations shall withstand solar
radiation. If the serial number is affixed to dismountable parts, the serial number shall also beprovided in a position where it is not readily dissociated from parts determining themetrological characteristics.
11Revision
01-2013(3) Electricity meters shall be provided with suitable means of sealing metrologicalsensitive parts. A seal is used to provide security for the electricity meter from tampering andit can be in the form of a crimped security seal or any suitable form.

12PART 3
TESTING & INITIAL VERIFICATION
Initial verification
10.

(1) Every electricity meter shall be tested and calibrated with the applicablestandard(s) by Authorised Manufacturer with an Accredited Laboratory.
(2) Initial verification process shall be performed in the manner as stipulated in Second
Schedule of this guideline or in such manner as determine by the Commission in consultation
with National Measurement Standards Laboratory.
(3) Each meter shall display the year it was last tested and verifed.
(4) Once verified, a meter may remain in service for a period of 10 years of any such
period as approved by the Commission, except where the meter is suspected to bemalfunctioning.

Revision
01-2013(5) Each meter type shall have ascribed to it a certification life (time to allow oncircuit). If no supporting evidence is available, a period of 10 years or such time that themeter to operate within permitted margins of error, whichever is least. In any event no metershall remain on circuit for periods exceeding 20 years.
Records11.
(1) The licensee shall maintain auditable records of all meters on circuit and theirprojected date of replacement. The minimum retention period for the records is 10 years.
(2) The following records shall be kept and made available for inspection by theCommission or its representative at any time;(a) Test certificate of all in service electricity meters,(b) Meter test equipment / standards calibration history,(c) Meter re-certification or replacement schedules,(d) Result of all ad hoc on site or laboratory meter testing initiated by thecustomer or licensee,(e) For every account, details of the meter (s) installed.

13Revision
01-2013Meter testing equipment
10.
(1) The following pieces of test equipment are deemed by this guideline to beStandards;(a) Reference standards,(b) AC/DC Transfer standards,(c) AC transfer standard,(d) Working standards.
(2) All Standards shall be maintained and calibrate at the following intervals by anapproved accredited laboratory and/or National Measurement Standards Laboratory;
Standard type

Maximum period between calibrations

Reference Standards

2 year

AC/DC Transfer Standards

1 yearAC Transfer Standards

1 yearWorking Standards

1 year(3) Test reports provided by approved accredited laboratories, shall be retained forinspection on request by the Commission(4) Apparatus used for the regulating and testing of electricity meters shall cease to be
used if periodic verification shows the instrument to be inaccurate or unstable. Suchapparatus must not be brought back into service until it has been repaired and re-calibrated.
(5) For any test load, the load applied to a working standard integrating meter shallnot be less than 25% or more than 125% of its full load rating. For a working standard, theapplied load shall not be less than 40 per cent or more than 100% of its full scale or range
reading.

14

PART 4
GENERAL
Public information
11.

(1) The licensee shall provide metering information as public handouts available fromtheir offices and other suitable facilities. These include, but not limited to the followingadvice;a) How to read a meter,b) Customer obligations on meter care,c) What to do if you think your bill is too high,d) Advice who to contact with queries,e) How to get meter checked,f) Dispute resolution procedure,(2) Once metered consumption has commenced the licensee is responsible formaintenance and replacement of the meter. However both the licensee and consumer
shall have obligations in keeping electricity meter in good order, and these obligations
should be emphasized in published documentation.
Transition
12.

(1) The licensee, in implementing this guideline shall produce a transition plan toensure that all metering procedures are in compliance by nominated future dates.
(2) The plan, which shall be provided to the Commission, shall include but not belimited to;a) Phasing out of non compliance meters,b) Meter replacement programs which take account of failure rates,c) Production of Public Information,d) Procurement of meters only in compliance with this regulation,e) Upgrading of Test & Calibration facilities,f) Implementation and phasing of 100% customer metering for electricity;g) Phasing out of meters older than 20 years.

15

ANNEX 1: NEW APPROVAL REQUIREMENT FOR ELECTRICITY METER

New meterNoPattern Approval
Process by
National Measurement
Standard Laboratory(NMSL)

Application for
Pattern Approval toNMSLDocument submission:-Type Test Report-Pattern document-Other supporting
document

Pattern Approval
Process

Yes

Issue Certificate ofPattern ApprovalNo

Certificate of Approval
from Commission
Register with
Dagangnet

Document submission
through online, e-permit:-Type Test Report

Certificate ofApproval process

Yes

Issue Certificate ofPattern ApprovalNo

Product Certification
Process by Accredited
Certification Body(ACB)

Application for
Product Certification
to ACB

Document submission:-Certificate of Pattern Approval-Certificate of Approval (Commission)-Type Test Report

Document
Evaluation

Yes
No

Factory Audit by ACB jointly withCommission.
Pre-requisite:-Authorised Manufacturer shall have
Accredited Laboratory-Product sample for conformity test

-Audit Evaluation-Conformity Test

16Yes

-Award licence for the productto be affixing with Certified Marking-Yearly renew and the audit will be
performed once a year