What Is a Smart Meter and How Does It Work? | The Family Handyman
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Wondering why your local utility company installed smart meters? We'll look at what a smart meter is, and what it means to you lot and your utility bill.
Free energy meters first appeared on homes in the late 19th century, when early pioneers like Thomas Edison needed a style to charge customers for electricity usage. The original pricing was per outlet, while the electricity itself was free. Sadly, those days are long gone!
Shortly, electro-mechanical meters became the norm. Those devices with spinning dials would eventually be fastened to the side of almost every home in the U.Due south. Every month or and then, a meter reader came by to note but how much free energy — in the form of electricity, water or natural gas — that household used.
In the mid-20th century, automated meter readers (AMR) sent that data direct to the utility. Today, we're witnessing the next pace in their evolution: The smart meter, a interactive device that allows communication between the meter on your home and the utility company providing your service.
Today, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than ninety million smart meters track residential electrical usage, and millions more monitor gas or h2o services. Let's find out how and why smart meters are becoming so common.
What Is a Smart Meter?
The most straightforward definition comes from the Section of Energy: "Smart meters provide two-way communication between y'all and your utility, helping your utility know near blackouts … to maintain more than reliable electrical service."
The same basic concept holds true for other utilities. The key point is 2-manner advice. Non only does the smart meter report real-time usage to the utility visitor, it also receives instructions from the utility — or from you lot, the consumer.
Pros and Cons of Smart Meters
Smart meter pros
- Real-time usage readings. Smart meters send feedback in regular intervals, letting utility companies track usage about as fast every bit it occurs. This allows for accurate billing and quick respond by the utility to usage spikes.
- Automatic outage notifications. Similarly, if you have an outage, the company may know virtually information technology even before you do! Utility companies can respond to outages faster and with more precision than with traditional meters.
- Variable pricing. That real-time usage too lets companies charge different prices for usage during dissimilar times of the day. That's important in areas that previously had to resort to rolling blackouts to relieve filigree demand. It also allows savvy homeowners to control their utility costs by shifting some functions to off-tiptop hours.
- Net metering. Some smart meters permit homeowners with solar arrays feed free energy back into the system. The meters rail how much free energy your assortment provides the grid, and credits your bill accordingly.
- Appliance usage assay. Although smart meters track whole-house usage, some models can guess which appliances are running at what fourth dimension, and suggest ways to amend energy efficiency. Although non equally accurate equally single-appliance monitoring, this "non-intrusive load monitoring" tin provide homeowners information on how upgrades might ameliorate efficiency.
Smart meter cons
- Security. Whatever device providing two-way communication can potentially be infiltrated. (Even items as beneficial as fitness trackers created security bug in the by.) Smart meters are vulnerable to control past outside parties, or to observation that may create prophylactic risks.
- Complexity. The more complex a device, the more means there are for things to go wrong. So if your meter fails to connect to the utility service, there can be bug with your billing through no mistake of your own.
Buying a Smart Meter
In almost cases, utility companies install and own dwelling house utility meters. If that'due south the case where you alive, y'all can't upgrade to a smart meter on your ain.
Even so, you can install a meter that sits betwixt the utility company meter and your habitation. These "sub-meters" give you lot all the detailed feedback and precise control of a smart meter, even if your utility company hasn't caught upwardly with the engineering even so.
Smart sub-meters are available for whole-house monitoring or tracking individual fixtures or outlets. While they lack automated outage reporting, they practice allow y'all to record your utility usage with a great deal of precision and make informed decisions accordingly.
All-time Smart Sub-Meters
If you lot think a smart sub-meter is right for yous, here are iii great models to consider.
Emporia Vue
If yous already own a smart meter and just want to access more detailed information, the Emporia Vue is affordable and easy-to-install.
But plug it into an outlet near your existing smart meter, and it will listen in on the data that meter sends to your electric provider. (It doesn't piece of work with all providers, then be certain to double-check compatibility before purchasing.) Results will exist shared via the Vue iOS or Android app. It's a corking fashion to track your usage and identify potential savings.
Flume 2 Smart Abode Water Monitor
If you want a smart meter for your h2o supply, consider the Flume two Smart Home H2o Monitor. Designed to track consumption and catch leaks every bit soon every bit possible, the Flume is convenient right out of the box.
The Flume runs off a battery-operated unit that clamps onto your existing h2o meter. That unit then relays information to your abode's WiFi through a nearby Air conditioning-powered transmitter. Basic usage and leak detection is included, only you'll need a monthly subscription model to unlock real-time usage.
Wiser Energy Smart Home Monitor
The Wiser Energy smart meter from Square D is a archetype sub-meter. It connects directly to your electrical panel and tracks usage, sharing details on your WiFi and mobile phone app. It too can track solar energy production. Its compatibility with voice assistants like Alexa makes for a fully integrated smart home experience.
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