Energy or Electric meter is a device that measures the amount of electricity consumed by a building, area, or by electricity-powered equipment. Electronic utilities use such meters that are installed at customer’s premises to measure energy delivered to them for billing purposes. This energy is typically calibrated in billing units, commonly in kilowatt-hours (kWh), which gets calculated once every billing cycle.
Traditional electric meters only give information regarding the amount of energy consumed in a particular billing cycle. With the advent of technology, smart meters have now entered the market, offering vast utility information apart from periodic energy consumption reports.
Working of a Smart Electric Meter
Smart meters are a replacement for traditional standard electric meters, which sends regular meter reading automatically. Once you have had this smart kit installed at home or commercial places, you will be able to keep a consistent check on the energy being used in various areas of your home or office premises.
Smart electric meters come with an in-home display that gives real-time usage information of energy, including the cost involved in it.
- Keep track of how much energy is being used in a particular billing cycle
- Know peak hours of energy consumption
- Electricity usage in pence and pounds
- Get automatic regular updates
Benefits of Smart Electric Meter
- Helps generate accurate bills with accurate readings periodically
- Better understands your power usage requirements as it records peak hours as well. Thereby helping you save money and energy overall.
- Smart meters are part of smart grid development, which is being followed worldwide for providing sustainable and energy-efficient power to households and office premises.
- Smart meters can also attract cheaper energy deals for households
- No extra cost is required for its installation. Your energy supplier will cover the costs of installing a smart meter at home in the overall utility costs.
- These electric meters are generally compliance-ready, meeting requirements under EN50470-1/3 (MID), IEC 61557-12, IEC 62053-21, IEC 62053-23
Common Myths About Smart Meters
- I Can’t Change Energy Supplier If I Have A Smart Meter
If you have a second-gen SMETS2 meter, you can easily switch your power supplier without any hassle. These electric meters keep their smart functionalities intact even after you switch.
However, first-gen SMETS1 meters may lose its functionalities, but there’s no constraint in switching the energy supplier.
- Smart Meters Can Cause Radiations
Smart meters do not cause radiations other than the ones similar to mobile phones. Therefore, it won’t harm anyone as they are also not kept close to any human body. You can install them in spaces that are not frequently accessed to stay away from them as much as possible.
- Smart Meters Aren’t Safe
Smart meters are compliance-ready as specified by the European Union and UK product safety laws. Standard compliance followed by these electric meters is EN50470-1/3 (MID), IEC 61557-12, IEC 62053-21/22, IEC 62053-23.
- Smart Meters Can Spy
Smart electric meters can’t see or listen to your conversations as they do not have any such in-built system. They only collect information regarding your property’s energy usage and not personal that can be used to spy on you. Moreover, these electric meters do not connect with the internet or wireless network communication system. Therefore, they cannot spy on you.
- I Can’t Get Smart Meters On A Rented Property
Since energy bills will be addressed to you than your landlord in the case of rented property, you can get a smart electric meter.
Power Metering and Control Systems for Home
Electric meters offer many advances, including system-integrated benefits. If you want to install such utilities at home, connect with an electric distributor in your area. Receive all information regarding all the power metering and control systems for home and commercial areas. Choose your suitable electric meter and save on energy and utility bills.
Sources:
https://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_iec62053-21%7Bed1.0%7Den_d.pdf
https://sse.co.uk/smart-meters/seven-myths-about-smart-meters
