How to Choose the Right Energy Meter (IAMMETER Selection Guide)

When choosing an energy meter, you usually need to consider several factors, including the electrical system type (single-phase, split-phase, three-phase Wye, or three-phase Delta), the application scenario (home, solar PV, or industrial), the cloud service level, and the integration interfaces (Modbus/TCP, MQTT, RESTful API, etc.).

This guide helps you quickly choose the most suitable IAMMETER model for your project.

Quick Selection Guide

Choose your meter in 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Identify your system

• Single phase → WEM3080
• Split phase (North America) → WEM3050T / WEM3080T / WEM3046T
• 3-phase (Wye, 4-wire) → WEM3050T / WEM3080T / WEM3046T
• 3-phase (Delta, 3-wire) → WEM3080TD

Step 2: Choose your application

• Home / Solar monitoring → WEM3080 / WEM3050T
• Commercial / Industrial → WEM3080T / WEM3046T / WEM3080TD

Step 3: Do you need flexible CT selection?

• Yes → WEM3046T
• No → Other models

System Types & Recommended Models

Product Comparison

Cloud service indicates the IAMMETER cloud service tier provided for each meter. Basic is mainly designed for residential users and home solar applications, while Pro is intended for commercial and industrial scenarios. Both Basic and Pro can be used directly, and if a user wants to upgrade from Basic to Pro, a subscription is required. You can also check the feature comparison between IAMMETER-Cloud Basic and Pro.

Single Phase System

WEM3080 is a bi-directional WiFi energy meter designed for single-phase systems.

It can be installed on:

• the grid side, to monitor imported energy and exported energy;
• the inverter side, to monitor solar generation;
• or on a specific load, to monitor energy usage.

Because it is a bi-directional meter, when installed on the grid side it measures both imported and exported energy simultaneously. For more details, please refer to Monitor only "From Grid" and "To Grid" energy by one single phase energy meter (WEM3080).

Split Phase System (Dual Phase / Single-Phase Three-Wire)

This system is very common in North America residential buildings. It is also known as:

• Edison three-wire system
• Dual-phase system
• Single-phase three-wire system
• Split-phase system

IAMMETER does not provide a dedicated split-phase meter, but all of its 3-phase meters support split-phase measurement, including:

• WEM3050T
• WEM3080T
• WEM3046T

Dual phase grid

You can use any two phases of a 3-phase meter to measure a split-phase system.

Split phase solar PV system (dual phase grid + dual phase inverter)

If you have a split-phase solar inverter, one 3-phase meter can monitor both the grid and inverter simultaneously.

This setup allows you to monitor:

• Solar generation
• Grid consumption
• Self-consumption rate
• Exported energy

Because the inverter output is balanced, only one inverter phase needs to be measured and the total output can be calculated accordingly.

For more details, please refer to Using a 3-Phase Energy Meter for Solar PV and Grid Consumption in a Split-Phase System.

3-Phase System (Wye / Star Connection)

Most commercial buildings and factories use a three-phase four-wire system.

The typical setup includes:

• three live lines
• one neutral line

IAMMETER 3-phase meters — WEM3050T, WEM3080T, and WEM3046T — support:

• 3-phase Wye systems
• split-phase systems
• single-phase systems

Single-phase system measured by a 3-phase meter

A 3-phase meter can also be used to measure a single-phase system.

Three-phase system

If your system is 3-phase 4-wire, all IAMMETER 3-phase meters can work directly.

Single-phase solar PV system

If you have a single-phase solar PV system, you can use one 3-phase meter to monitor both grid consumption and solar generation.

For more details, please refer to Solar PV System Monitoring.

Or you can log in to the IAMMETER demo account.

Three-phase solar PV system

If both the grid and the solar inverter are 3-phase, using two meters provides the most complete monitoring result.

• One meter on inverter side → monitor solar generation only
• One meter on grid side → monitor imported/exported grid energy only
• Two meters → full energy flow analysis

With two meters, you can monitor:

• Grid imported energy
• Grid exported energy
• Solar yield
• Self-use rate
• Energy flow analysis

For more details, please refer to Solar PV System Monitoring.

Or you can log in to the IAMMETER demo account.

3-Phase Delta System

Some industrial loads operate on a three-phase three-wire Delta system, such as:

• motors
• air conditioners
• compressors
• industrial equipment

For this application, IAMMETER provides WEM3080TD, a dedicated meter for 3-phase 3-wire systems.

Diagram	Description
	UA → Line A, UB → Line B (voltage reference), UC → Line C

For more wiring diagrams, please visit the IAMMETER Wiring & Installation Guide.

Hardware Interfaces

Besides system type, the hardware interface is also an important factor when choosing an energy meter.

All IAMMETER products support the following interfaces:

• Modbus/TCP
• MQTT / MQTTs
• HTTP / HTTPS
• TCP / TLS
• RESTful APIs

This makes IAMMETER suitable for both cloud-based and self-hosted energy management systems.

For more details, please refer to IAMMETER local interfaces and API integration guide.

Integration & Platforms

With IAMMETER-Cloud service

IAMMETER offers a complete cloud and app platform for all products through IAMMETER-Cloud and App Service.

It provides:

• ready-to-use cloud monitoring
• web and mobile access
• no local deployment required

IAMMETER also provides a self-hosted local monitoring system, IAMMETER-Docker, which can be deployed on the customer’s own server.

All IAMMETER products can work directly with IAMMETER-Cloud.

Without IAMMETER-Cloud service

IAMMETER energy meters can also be easily integrated into your own system or into open-source platforms such as:

• Home Assistant
• Node-RED
• OpenHAB
• ioBroker
• Zabbix
• ThingsBoard

To learn more, please refer to How to integrate IAMMETER products into third-party platforms.

Summary

IAMMETER provides flexible energy metering solutions for:

• residential energy monitoring
• solar PV monitoring
• split-phase systems in North America
• commercial and industrial energy management
• self-hosted and third-party platform integration

Whether you need a simple home energy meter or a more powerful industrial solution, IAMMETER provides a suitable model for your application.

Feedback

Welcome to share your thoughts here.

Update History

2026-04-04:

• Added WEM3080TD link
• Updated API description
• Updated third-party integration link
• Added WEM2067 reference