So what do Smart Meters do?

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Nelson

Initially, upgrading from traditional accumulative meters to the new smart meters seem like a great idea and would bring great benefits to the consumer. However, benefits for the utility companies seem to outweigh the benefits for the end user, so what exactly do we get from these new smart meters? And what do they do?

So what do Smart Meters do?

In this Press Release from the New South Wales government, “Smart meters add the capacity for remote communication. This would allow the meter owner or the electricity supplier to send or collect information directly from the meter and the customer.”

This adds the functionality of the power companies being able to monitor when you use the power and how much you use during that time. Data is collected and electricity is sold in 30 minute periods known as ‘intervals’.

What does this mean for the provider? More data for them to play with. What does this mean for the costumer? We are able to be billed via the new ‘time-of-use’ pricing. Time of use pricing is typically composed of three time periods: Peak, Off-peak and a Shoulder period in between. So the price of electricity is cheapest during Off-peak and most expensive during Peak. (In New South Wales, “Peak rates apply from 2pm-8pm on working weekdays. Shoulder rates apply from 7am-2pm and 8pm-10pm on working weekdays and 7am-10pm on weekends and public holidays. Off peak rates apply at all other times”. )

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Fourth Year Thesis

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Nelson

For my fourth year thesis project, I have come up with two general ideas.

  1. A smarter energy meter, to better aid the savings of consumers
  2. An online social game which will educate, motivate and influence player behaviour in terms of smarter and more efficient energy consumption.

Both ideas (or projects) are aimed to study the change in behaviour of the consumer and could be fused together into a single larger project. The goal is to find the most effective method for influencing the consumer to adapt their home energy usage to the rising energy prices.

I will research both ideas and see what is feasible within the given time frame. Hopefully I won’t overestimate my abilities.

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