Smart Meter

A Smart Meter provides additional features over those of the traditional electromechanical electricity meters that most people will have seen in a home. The picture shows one supplier’s example of a Smart Meter for electricity. There are many different designs of Smart Meters – and the most common characteristics of a smart meter are as follows:

• It records consumption of electricity during short time periods (for example every 15 minutes rather than about two months between meter reads).
• It can distinguish between and record the import and export of electricity.
• There is electronic communication between a central control location and each Smart Meter that allows readings to be transmitted without the need for a visit by a meter reader or the consumer to submit a meter reading.
• It can receive instructions to switch the electricity supply to the premises on or off.