How does a Smart Meter lead to the Generation of Smart Electricity?

A smart meter gives precise information on the consumption of power to lower power bills. It also aims at increasing the consumer’s knowledge about the electricity system’s role, enhancing its efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

The smart energy meter can collect real-time information on the current status of the power grid in addition to retaining energy usage metrics. It includes detecting supply interruptions, inappropriate voltages, and faulty connections. 

As a result, customers benefit from the dramatically improved supply quality and reduced time to detect and replace defects.

What Is A Smart Electricity Meter?

Just like a standard meter, a smart meter also measures and maintains the energy consumption data of the house. 

Additionally, a smart meter is a digital electric meter that can remotely interface with the electricity supplier. It sends the consumption data to the electricity supplier company every 15 minutes to an hour, removing the need for a meter reader.

In addition to monitoring the energy consumption, the smart meter can promptly notify the supplier if there is a power failure in the neighbourhood. When everything is back to usual, the smart meter will alert the area supplier regarding the redressal.

What are the most amazing Features? 

The conventional energy consumption meter used to include functionalities that essentially measured and stored the whole cumulative value. 

The transition of meters to a smart electricity meter entails, among other aspects, replacing old meters with digital electric meter. This allows users to enjoy enhanced features and new digital services more efficiently.

A Smart meter includes a power-control circuit breaker that eliminates the need for installation within the user’s electrical box. It enhances responsiveness and acting capability. 

These meters also contain a communications interface for remote connection between the centers and the meter. This allows remote reading and activities like providing new tariff tables, changing contract conditions, and configuring the meter itself.

Smart Electricity: Smart Meter National Program (SMNP)

In India, the Smart Meter National Programme intends to substitute 25 crore traditional meters with a smart meter. 

Smart meters are linked via a web-based monitoring program, which will assist providers in reducing commercial losses, increasing revenues, and act as a significant element in power sector reforms. 

The EESL business strategy for deploying smart metre is replacing the manual income collection method. That’s because the manual income collection method has, over time, resulted in low bill generation and poor collection efficiencies. 

This initiative is being executed under the BOOT model on a cost-plus basis, implying that EESL is responsible for all Capex/Opex, and the states/service providers are not obliged to spend early. 

EESL has inked Memorandums of Understanding/Agreements for a smart meter with Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, NDMC-Delhi, Telangana, Rajasthan, and for prepaid meters with the states of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.

EESL has also accomplished the acquisition of 1.5 crore smart meters under this scheme. It has implemented over 13.2 lakh smart meters across New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Bihar.

Types of Smart Meters in India

These are some of the types of smart meter used in India:

• CT-PT meter
• Single-phase 
• Distribution transformer operated meter 
• Three-phase

What are the Advantages?

One of the most significant advantages of a smart meter for consumers is that it can monitor their energy usage. 

Most digital electric meters include a digital face that shows current information about the energy consumed. However, it doesn’t reveal which electronic device consumes the most electricity in the house. People can adjust their daily routines by knowing the exact figures of consumed energy.

Some state agencies or utilities even provide online applications for tracking the energy consumption data. 

For instance, India has a Smart meter programme that allows home and commercial users to monitor energy consumption statistics in 15-minute increments and daily and monthly usage statistics. 

If a person wants to adjust their energy usage, they can observe how the changes affect their overall energy consumption daily and monthly.

Let’s look at the most comprehensive advantages now!

#1 Complete Command

A person can monitor their expenditure in real-time. It might assist them in making simple modifications to minimise their energy consumption and cost.

#2 Hassle-Free

The smart meter will automatically notify the readings of the utility. This way, the consumer can get more precise bills without moving their couch.

#3 Low-Carbon Living

Knowing where the energy is going will inspire people to consider the carbon output and how to operate more efficiently.

Conclusion

The digital energy meter is the core of the power system. The information obtained from these devices enables the application of additional digital technologies for data transmission and utilisation, including:

• Cloud applications
• Virtualisation
• Artificial intelligence
• Big data. 

The end result is an improved user experience.

FAQs

1. How do smart meters work in India?

A smart meter not only records power use but also monitors voltage levels. 

While traditional meters assess an apartment’s or business’s power use, smart meters stand up to their name by transmitting the same data to electricity suppliers every 15 minutes or one hour.

2. Do smart meters consume power?

A smart meter, like a standard meter, monitors electricity consumption. However, unlike regular meters, smart meters report their data to the provider immediately. 

3. What exactly is the new smart metre?

Smart meters are the next-generation electricity meters. They are intended to be a replacement for traditional meters. 

Through these smart electricity meters, people can track their readings and send them to their suppliers to receive correct invoices.