Electricity Smart Meters – Will They Help Us Lower Energy Consumption?
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.
Unlike the old traditional meters which were only able to track the amount of energy consumed, the new smart meters will be able to measure not only how much electricity is being used, but also when it is used. It is hoped that this will allow electricity companies to set different rates according to the times when the most energy is being consumed and as such, it may help to encourage people to use electricity during off peak hours in order to take advantage of reduced rates.
These smart meters are already in use in numerous countries such Italy, where the main energy supplier currently provides electricity to more than 27 million customers, all of which have smart meters. These meters which communicate via low voltage power lines make it possible for the electric company to monitor usage and unauthorized usage. Electric companies are now also able to turn power either on or of 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.
Because smart meters rely largely on having the ability to communicate with a central command point, communication remains the biggest challenge. In order to overcome this obstacle, certain possible solutions have been proposed, such as making use of cellular networks and power line communications.
Just recently, the U.S. president openly called for 3,000 miles of transmission lines and a total of 40 million smart meters to be installed, making it the most ambitious upgrade the country’s electrical grid has seen in the last 40 years. In fact, many people believe that it will have such a significant influence on society, that it could be compared to the Internet. Furthermore, because this project promises to be able to make use of power which originates from clean power projects, it has received a great deal of support. Additionally, it is widely accepted that such a project will help to curb the need to for additional power production centers.
Considering that a smart meter can cost from 100 to $300.00 to install, it is by all accounts a significant investment, but then again, if you are able to choose when you wish to use electricity based on different prices during different times of the day, and then the savings you could make will surely make it all worthwhile. Judging from the amount of investment which has been made so far with regards to this technology, we may well see this become a reality sooner rather than later .