Prepaid Electricity Meter -11 Things About Electricity Meters

1. What is an electricity meter?
An electricity meter is a device that measures the amount of electricity consumed when a family enters the home. Usually, it is installed where the power cord enters the building. Just like the mileage display on your car can show the total distance you have traveled, the meter can show the total amount of electricity that has been used since the setting and can continue to work. It measures electricity consumption in kilowatt hours. To find out how much power is consumed in a given time period, you must take two readings and then subtract the second reading from the first reading.

Although there are different types of instruments, they all have the same functions and include the same basic components:

Unique electric meter number, used to identify your consumption
Show total power consumption

2. Meters

The meter connected to your home will be given a unique number so that your consumption can be correctly identified and billed. When submitting a meter reading to a transmission / distribution service provider (TDSP-also known as a power company), you need to indicate the meter number. This is different from ESI ID #, which is used to localize your meter number and link consumption to your meter number.

Where can I find my meter number
You will find the instrument number on the surface of the instrument. On an analog instrument, the instrument number is located at the bottom of the instrument. In the example below, the meter number is 320H212121241.

On digital meters, the meter number is located at the bottom of the consumption screen.

3. Types of electricity meters
There are two main types of electricity meters used by most utility companies: electromechanical meters and automatic ("smart") meters. However, Americans who install micro-power generation capabilities must install a third type of instrument, a two-way instrument. Check out our guide to learn more about different types of meters.

4. How does the electromechanical instrument work?
The electromechanical instrument contains the following components:

Electromechanical
Plastic or glass cover. The cover is sealed to reduce the possibility of damage or tampering
register
Nameplate
Unique number of specific instrument
Disk rotating with power consumption
Dial indicating power consumption

Electromechanical induction meters are currently the most common type of meters used in the United States. They contain a conductive non-magnetic metal disk whose rotation speed is proportional to the power consumed. The disk is driven by the interaction of the magnetic fields generated by the two electromagnets surrounding the disk: one is powered by the power provided by the input power line, and the other is powered by the current required by the building circuit. The rotation of the disk is decelerated by two permanent magnets, which exert a proportional reaction force. The number on the dial turns as the disk rotates.

5. How does an automatic "smart" meter work?

Automatic meters (or "smart" meters) work similarly to traditional electromechanical meters, but they also contain batteries and communication chips. The communication chip sends meter reading data to the mobile collector (and sleeps between these times) by radio signals several times a day. The meter reading information is sent to the power company through the power line or through the radio frequency or cellular network. The utility sends customer consumption information to its energy supplier for billing.

The battery in the communication chip of the automatic instrument can be used for 15 to 20 years. The communication chip (sometimes called an encoder, receiver, transmitter, or ERT device) operates on the same radio frequency as many cordless phones, but is designed not to interfere with other devices (if it will automatically switch to other frequencies, indeed Interference detected).

Why use smart meters? Because it allows the energy supplier to determine not only how much electricity is used, but also how long it is consumed. Traditional automatic meter reading (AMR) will track your electricity consumption, and the utility company will determine your bill based on the average price of the previous month. However, the price of electricity changes throughout the day, and it will surge during periods of strong demand and decline sharply during periods of low demand (such as nighttime).

With the deregulation of the electricity market, companies are already looking for better pricing methods to price the electricity they provide in order to charge consumers for the electricity they use. In addition, because smart meters can be read remotely, power and gas companies see it as a way to save operating and labor costs. Although smart meters do not constitute "smart grids" themselves, they constitute an indispensable part.

Therefore, if you can consume during off-peak hours, smart meters can help you save money each month (or conversely, you will end up spending more money).

Two-way instrument
All owners of micro-generators must install two-way meters. These meters measure the current used and the power produced by the building where they are installed. In other words, they can measure current in both directions. There are two types of bidirectional meters: bidirectional cumulative meters and bidirectional interval meters. Both meters work basically the same way, but interval meters take readings at specified intervals (for example, every 30 minutes), while cumulative meters do not.

6. Who owns the electricity meter?

Your utility company owns the electricity meter in the house. They are responsible for installation, maintenance and reading of electricity meters. Your meter has been sealed and tampering with it is an indictable crime (not to mention very dangerous). If you want to move or replace the meter, you must contact your utility company directly to see if it is feasible.

7. How to read the meter

If you have an automatic (smart) meter, your information will be sent directly to the utility company, so technically, you do n’t have to read the meter. Having said that, it is a good idea to know how much electricity you consume, no matter which meter you use.

How to read electromechanical (analog) meters
Electromechanical instruments display power consumption on a series of dials. To read the meter, view the numbers from left to right, read the number when the dial is directly on the number, or round to the lowest number when the number is between two numbers.

Read smart meters
Reading smart meters is easier because the LCD screen will show the total kWh consumption (when changing).

How to read a two-way meter
The two-way meter has two displays: kWh received and kWh delivered. The total kWh in both directions will be displayed. The received electricity will carry the code "01" and the delivered electricity will carry the code "46". Between readings may show 888, this is a segment test.

8. How do I know if my meter is correct?
Before all instrument types and models are widely used in your community, they must be extensively tested. The service life of electromechanical meters is about 30 years, while the life of electronic (smart) meters is 15 to 20 years, but may need to be repaired from time to time before replacement. Your utility is also responsible for maintaining and repairing electricity meters.

9. Instrument security
Some people have raised concerns about the safety of smart meters and the impact of the RF (low energy) radiation they emit. The American Cancer Society stated that “it is almost impossible to conduct a study to prove or refute the connection between a house with a smart meter and cancer because people have many sources of RF exposure and the level of exposure from that source. Very small” for example , The amount of radiation that you can expose from a smart meter is much less than the amount of radiation exposed when using a mobile phone. Research has also been conducted to determine whether the radiation from smart meters can interfere with electronic medical devices such as pacemakers. It has not been proven that smart meters can interfere with these types of devices.

Who should I call if my meter does not work?
Your utility company owns your meter and is responsible for maintaining it. If you think the meter is not working properly, please call the customer service phone of the utility company for more information. Please note that in Texas, if you have questions about electricity meters, you may need to call your retail electricity supplier first.

Slow down the meter with a magnet
By installing a powerful magnet on the outside of the meter, you can slow down the rotation speed of the disk in the meter. The magnet will interrupt the interaction of the magnetic field in the instrument and cause the disk to slow down. It is impossible to stop the movement of the instrument completely in this way.

Stop watch with hand
Some people stop the flow of the instrument panel by piercing a hole in the instrument (through the cover) and inserting a needle or card into the instrument. Because it will damage the meter, it is easier to detect this method of tampering.

10. What happens to the meter when moving?
If you move, the electricity meter at home will not move or change. You should notify the power supplier before taking action. A representative of your power company may need to come to your home for the final meter reading, or you may need to call yourself for the final meter reading.

11. What happens to the electricity meter if I change the energy supplier?
Even if you change the supplier, your utility will remain the same, so if you decide to change the energy supplier, nothing will happen to the meter. When switching, do not interrupt the power supply.

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