Want to know the oldest technology in your home? Look no further than your old electric meter. The technology behind these relics dates back to the time of Thomas Edison. Since we as a society decided to bring power inside the home and charge for it in the process, electric meters were installed to provide information back to the power company. Its job has always been to provide usage numbers and little else. It can’t make suggestions on ways to improve efficiency or how to cut costs.
But that’s changing with smart technology. And what is already in your phone and tablet devices, and helps you control a variety of appliances already in your home, is also coming to your power meter.
A smart meter simply measures the amount of electricity a customer uses. But the difference lies in transmission. With old mechanical meters, usage had to be gathered by moving through the neighborhood. With smart meters, the number is sent via radio signal, and is gathered on an ongoing basis.
What are the benefits of using a smart meter?
It offers better readability. Smart meters and other improvements in the power grid will help ensure power issues in a more timely basis. It will help notify the utility of a power outage quicker and reroute power when there is a problem to avoid costly blackouts.
It improves efficiency. All customers pay for wasted power that isn’t charged to a particular account. Smart meters can help control power, avoid waste, cut down on electricity theft and unaccounted energy such as when transfers occur with new home acquisition, before an account is assigned.
It eliminates estimated billing. In some cases, old meters weren’t always read each month, and instead were billed on estimates. Estimates aren’t always accurate, and many were paying for unused power. Technology makes smart meters accurate, ensuring you pay for what you use.
It gives you more choices. When you can see what your usage is, you can better control how you use it. Time of Use rates are designed to help you save money. During peak periods, it costs more to produce electricity. If you shift some of your usage out of peak times, the savings are passed on to you.
If you switch to Time of Use rate, your smart meter records your electrical usage and the time period you used the electricity. The energy use information collected by your smart meter can show you how your home is using electricity, and provide you with the data you need to make smart choices when using electricity in the future. You can adjust your tasks in order to further reduce your costs.
Call R.S. Andrews for an Energy Audit in Atlanta
There are many ways to save energy around your home. We’d be happy to provide an energy audit and help you create steps to begin.