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Unless you live in an off-grid home, you have an electric meter. Your electric meter tells your utility how much electricity you''ve used over a given time period so that they know how much to charge you on your monthly bill. There are a few different types of electric meters, all of which function in slightly different ways, including net meters that work for solar homes. In this article, we''ll break down the different types of meters, how they work, and why you should care about what kind of electric meter you have.
Your electric meter measures your connection to the electrical grid, keeping track of how much electricity you pull from the grid. Historically, electric meters were analog–just numbers on gears and a dial that spun as you consumed more kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. They required a utility worker to come to physically walk to the side of your home and read take a meter reading–literally, writing down the number on your meter. The difference between one reading and the previous one is how they determined your bill amount.
As with other technologies, electric meters have become more advanced over time, making the meter reading process more automated. First, electric meters were adjusted to either passively or actively emit readable radio waves: instead of having to walk to the side of your house, utility workers could drive specially outfitted trucks through your neighborhood and collect readings for each meter much quicker.
Next, utilities began to install "advanced metering infrastructure," alternatively referred to as AMI or smart meters. These smart meters have two key benefits: first, they are able to track electricity usage on a much more granular level–i.e., your power and energy consumption over fifteen or even five-minute intervals–and, second, they are able to automatically communicate with your utility, meaning there''s no need for anyone to ever visit your property or drive through your neighborhood to collect usage information for billing.
Finally, if you install solar on your home, your utility may swap out your old electric meter for a net energy meter to track both how much electricity you pull from the grid as well as how much solar you export to the grid. You may also be outfitted with a production meter to track exactly how much solar your panels generate for any local incentive purposes (like for the SMART program in Massachusetts).
The type of electric meter you have influences the type of rate that your utility can charge you for electricity. For instance, if you have an older analog meter, your utility only has visibility into how much electricity you''ve used between readings, without any insight into when you use electricity or the most amount that you''re using at one point in time. As a result, your utility can only charge you one rate for all of the electricity you use.
However, if you have a smart meter, then your utility company has much greater insight into when you use electricity and how much you''re using at a given point in time. With that information on hand, your utility has enough of a window into your consumption habits to be able to place you on a time-of-use rate (where the rate you pay for electricity varies based on the time when you use it) or a demand charge rate (which charges you more based on the maximum amount of electricity you pull from the grid at any one time).
Both of these types of rates have pros and cons for home and business owners – depending upon your usage habits and particular circumstances, you may pay more or less for electricity each month. But in either case, if your utility has insight into hourly–or even sub-hourly–usage at your home, they''re likely to provide you with that same insight in your utility account, which is a great way to better understand your usage and how it impacts your bill.
One additional thing to keep in mind is that the type of electric meter you have impacts the ease of your solar installation process: if you already have a smart meter installed, you can provide installers with much greater depth of detail into your usage to allow them to design the best possible system for your needs. And depending on your utility, you may not even need a new net meter installed if you already have a smart meter.
Regardless of what kind of electricity meter you have at your property, the best way to take control of your electricity usage is with solar. To see how much you can save by going solar, check out EnergySage''s online Solar Calculator. If you''re interested in receiving custom solar quotes from local installers, register for a free account on EnergySage today.
In the sprawling system that is the electric grid, the electric meter is what brings it all home. Your electric meter sits at your home''s connection between the larger grid and your utility.
Let''s start with a simple question: "What is an electric meter?" In basic terms, an electric meter (also called an electricity meter, electrical meter, or energy meter) is a device that measures the amount of electricity that''s consumed by a building.
Your home''s electric meter has a big influence on how your utility company can bill you for power consumption. For example, if you're using an older analog meter, your utility company only knows how much electricity you have used between a previous reading and a new reading, and they can only get that data by sending a worker out to take the reading. The utility doesn't have insight into the amount of electricity you use at any specific time, or when you use the most electricity, so they can only use one rate to bill you for all of the electricity you have consumed.
A newer smart meter gives your utility company better and more immediate insight into the amount of electricity you consume, and when you are consuming that electricity. If you have a smart meter installed, your utility can gather more information about your power usage habits, and they can change the way they charge for electricity.
Depending on the type of rate your utility uses, and when you use electricity the most, you may end up paying more or less for your power with a smart meter. The good news is, if your utility collects more data on your power usage, they may share that data with you, which you can use to understand your consumption better, and how your energy use impacts your monthly bill.
The type of meter you have also impacts the ease of solar power installation. If you''re using a smart meter, solar installers can gather more details about your usage to design a system that will address your needs. And depending on your utility company, it may not be necessary to install a new meter after going solar if you are already using a smart meter.
You may be surprised to learn that your home''s energy meter is not your property. Your utility owns the electric meter for home energy measurement, and is responsible for installing, maintaining, and reading it. Tampering with a residential power meter is not authorized, and is a punishable offense. (Not to mention it can be highly dangerous!)
You''ve probably stared at the spinning numbers on a power meter and wondered, "What does an electric meter do, and how does it calculate my energy consumption?" The disc in an analog meter simply spins as you pull kilowatt-hours (kWhs) of electricity from the grid. When the meter is read, the difference between two readings—the current reading and the previous reading—is how your utility company determines your energy usage and the amount they should bill.
If you have an older meter, you may have noticed a utility worker coming to your home every month to take the current meter reading. If you have a newer smart meter, a utility worker won''t physically visit your home, because a smart meter is designed to communicate your electricity usage directly with your utility.
Some smart meters communicate via a cellular signal, but it is also possible that your smart meter is emitting radio waves, and a utility worker will drive through your neighborhood to collect meter readings. Smart meters with radio waves still allows the utility to collect data without visiting your home, but it doesn''t communicate directly with the utility like a cellular smart meter does.
If you decide to install a solar power system, your utility may require you to swap your old meter for a new meter. If you live in an area with net metering, the new solar meter will help determine how much electricity you are pulling from the utility, as well as how much energy you are feeding back into the grid.
Most homes and businesses not fitted with a new smart meter have a traditional analog meter. This mechanical meter is normally enclosed in a glass or plastic housing (to reduce the possibility of tampering) and has a metal disc inside that spins when you are drawing current from the utility''s service wires. If you are a keen observer, you might have noticed the disc moves slower at times of low electricity consumption, and faster during peak usage times.
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