You may have heard about the recent call for installing smart meters in our homes. These meters are advanced electrical meters that identify power consumption in greater detail than ordinary meters, and send that information back to the utility for billing and monitoring. But will they really help reduce power consumption? Let's take a look at what smart meters can and can't do for us.
While the old power meters could simply measure the amount of electricity used, the new smart meters will have the ability to match consumption with times of usage. In other words, the electric company will be able to determine during which times the most electricity is being used and at such, they'll then be able to offer different prices for electricity used at different times of the day and night. The aim is to encourage people to avoid using electricity during peak hours by offering the incentive of lower costs, should you choose to use most of your electricity during off peak hours.
Italy's dominant utility is currently serving over twenty-seven million customers with fully electronic smart meters capable of measuring and managing power, and which have a software controlled disconnect switch. They're solid state, and communicate via low voltage power lines. These systems offer more features to utilities, allowing remote changing of billing plans, the ability to detect outages and unauthorized use, and the ability to turn power on and off remotely.
With the implementation of smart meters well underway in countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, and Scandinavia, it would appear as though it's only a matter of time before they are implemented in the United Kingdom. In America it would seem that there are currently only certain jurisdictions which are currently moving towards smart meter technology, but the trend does look set to continue, given that more and more homeowners now believe they should have the choice with regards to buying their electricity at times when the price is reduced. Likewise, many homeowners feel they should have a choice as to when they should sell excess electricity to the electricity company, should they have any excess power.
Of course for smart meters to function properly, they need to be able to communicate information to a central command, and this is without doubt the biggest problem yet encountered. However, various proposals to have been put forth with regards to this issue, some of which suggest the use of cellular networks, power line communications, and even radio.
Recently, US President Obama has called for the installation of forty million smart meters, as well as three thousand miles of transmission lines. This would be the first real update to the electrical grid in about forty years. Some feel that this will create what is being called a "smart grid" and will be as big an influence on our society as the Internet, the Interstate, the telephone and the railroad. The ability of this grid to pull energy from clean power projects is one of the reasons it's being supported, as well as its ability to forstall the need for building new power production centers.
With the price of smart meters ranging from 100 to $300.00 each, it's apparent that the price depends largely on the quality of the meter being used. Even though this could be considered a significant investment, when one considers that there's been a lot of investment into this technology, it may very well be possible sooner rather than later. In all likelihood you will soon be choosing when you want to use electricity, based on the various prices, and hopefully this will allow you to reduce your average monthly energy bill. - 29939
While the old power meters could simply measure the amount of electricity used, the new smart meters will have the ability to match consumption with times of usage. In other words, the electric company will be able to determine during which times the most electricity is being used and at such, they'll then be able to offer different prices for electricity used at different times of the day and night. The aim is to encourage people to avoid using electricity during peak hours by offering the incentive of lower costs, should you choose to use most of your electricity during off peak hours.
Italy's dominant utility is currently serving over twenty-seven million customers with fully electronic smart meters capable of measuring and managing power, and which have a software controlled disconnect switch. They're solid state, and communicate via low voltage power lines. These systems offer more features to utilities, allowing remote changing of billing plans, the ability to detect outages and unauthorized use, and the ability to turn power on and off remotely.
With the implementation of smart meters well underway in countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, and Scandinavia, it would appear as though it's only a matter of time before they are implemented in the United Kingdom. In America it would seem that there are currently only certain jurisdictions which are currently moving towards smart meter technology, but the trend does look set to continue, given that more and more homeowners now believe they should have the choice with regards to buying their electricity at times when the price is reduced. Likewise, many homeowners feel they should have a choice as to when they should sell excess electricity to the electricity company, should they have any excess power.
Of course for smart meters to function properly, they need to be able to communicate information to a central command, and this is without doubt the biggest problem yet encountered. However, various proposals to have been put forth with regards to this issue, some of which suggest the use of cellular networks, power line communications, and even radio.
Recently, US President Obama has called for the installation of forty million smart meters, as well as three thousand miles of transmission lines. This would be the first real update to the electrical grid in about forty years. Some feel that this will create what is being called a "smart grid" and will be as big an influence on our society as the Internet, the Interstate, the telephone and the railroad. The ability of this grid to pull energy from clean power projects is one of the reasons it's being supported, as well as its ability to forstall the need for building new power production centers.
With the price of smart meters ranging from 100 to $300.00 each, it's apparent that the price depends largely on the quality of the meter being used. Even though this could be considered a significant investment, when one considers that there's been a lot of investment into this technology, it may very well be possible sooner rather than later. In all likelihood you will soon be choosing when you want to use electricity, based on the various prices, and hopefully this will allow you to reduce your average monthly energy bill. - 29939
About the Author:
About the author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Commercial Energy business for the past 7 years and has published many articles on Business Electric news.
