Meter

An electricity meter is an important machine that not only measures and records the unit of electrical energy used by a residential, commercial or industrial property but also does so with high precision. Traditionally, it used to be analog and read manually, but the deployment of smart meters is becoming more popular providing real-time data and two-way communication. Meters typically use kilowatt-hours (kWh) as the basis of utility billing. For solar PV-equipped properties, even more important are specialized bi-directional meters. These meters can not only monitor the amount of electricity taken from the grid, but also the amount of excess solar energy returned to the grid, a major part of any net metering schemes. They will be able to read their own plumbing and check for water wastage, detect areas in which they are using excess energy, and for solar panel buyers, confirm how their system is performing and whether it is bringing them a return on their investment.