Power Supply Requirements for Electricity Metering Systems
CONTENT:
Nowadays, more people recognize the value of reducing energy use and investing in more efficient energy management. Energy monitoring provides homeowners and business owners with the information they need to make informed and actionable decisions in terms of energy use. Monitoring the current energy status allows for more efficient energy management while reducing unnecessary costs and improving the energy equipment's performance.
Electricity metering systems are used to measure the total amount of energy utilized by electrically powered equipment, tenant space, or a building. Electric meters are deployed for utilities to measure the exact amount of power delivered to customers, which helps in speeding up the billing process and discovering any anomalies. Besides enabling increased energy efficiency, other benefits of smart electricity meters range from a more comprehensive analysis of power quality and usage.
Below we will gather an overview of electricity metering systems and their power supply requirements.
Why Do We Need Smart Energy Meters?
Smart energy meters have many advantages, including eliminating the need to submit meter readings. Smart meters automatically send out readings to an energy supplier. This way, homeowners don't have to worry about remembering to submit them monthly. Plus, the readings are automatically calculated, making the billable energy use more accurate, resulting in more detailed bills based on real energy usage.
Smart energy meters also allow homeowners to track their real-time energy usage and spending. This advantage makes energy budgeting more convenient and results in clear energy savings. Other costs can be saved through the energy consumption monitoring provided by a smart meter. Homeowners can use this machine to notice any sudden spikes associated with a faulty appliance. By identifying these promptly, users can ensure it is dealt with quickly and safely.
As a matter of fact, more smart meters are being installed nowadays than ever before. For example, in the United States, 115 million smart meters have been deployed in 2021, an increase of 108 million units compared to 2007 (Statista.com). Consumers' perception and awareness of smart energy metering systems are also growing. A 2021 survey conducted by the UK Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) found that 47% of respondents have a smart meter installed, representing a considerable increase compared to the 6% figures in March 2012.
Smart meters have indeed a clear potential both at a residential and community-based level. However, this equipment is also extremely delicate and requires only power supplies meant precisely for this application.
The Challenges of Smart Meters
For how crucial this technology is, it's also important for engineers to consider some of the challenges associated with designing an electric circuit for a smart energy metering system. First of all, smart meters need to provide reliable and accurate information at all times of the day and night. Even slight inaccuracies can result in owners being billed beyond or below their actual energy usage. Smart meters are usually installed outside a house, where they can be subject to the indirect effects of moisture, heat, temperature changes, and more.
Smart meters need to include power supplies that can withstand these conditions and still power this equipment under all circumstances. Engineers should also look for affordable power supplies to lower the initial costs associated with installing and maintaining smart meters. For most owners, this initial investment is one of the main challenges that limit the deployment of smart energy monitoring systems. After all, a smart meter's owner is probably looking for a method to lower the energy bills and save some money in the long term.
In addition, smart meters are becoming increasingly smaller, in line with the building of more condos and other similar residential units where space is often shared among several residents. The power supplies in smart meters should then provide the same reliability with increasingly smaller dimensions.
All these challenges weigh on engineers, who also need to ensure an appropriate level of accuracy, safety, and security. Smart meters also need to adhere to national standards and state and local requirements for proper and secure operation. A robust and quality-certified power supply system can support the circuit design of reliable and technologically-advanced smart meters.
The Power Supply Requirements of Smart Meters
For smart meters, selecting the appropriate power supplies is essential to ensure optimal safety standards and lower the chances of malfunctioning in field developments. For this reason, engineers should consider some of the power supply requirements for smart energy metering system applications. Some of these factors to consider include the following:
● 60-230VAC stable input
● Transient power of 6.72W
● EMI Class B with surge equal to or over 2KV
These are only some of the main requirements to consider, which can go far beyond the ones listed above. For example, engineers can also select power supplies with a compact size. Power supplies for electricity meters should also meet the high EMI surge requirement for higher reliability. Other factors worth considering include an input voltage that can be easily pulled down to 60VAC, as well as transient power requirements with data transmission at 6.72W.
Power supplies for these applications should also be able to operate at the lowest temperature to withstand the effects of wide temperature chances, snow, and freezing weather. Depending on the region or area where a smart meter will be installed, engineers can look for power supplies with a low operating temperature of at least -20°C.
Overall, power supplies for energy metering applications should provide a fast response to the continuous fluctuations at the load and the grip supply side to which smart meters are continuously exposed. Engineers should select power supplies with a good output voltage regulation and better efficiency for the wide input voltage range. MORNSUN can provide a one-stop solution for ensuring continuous and reliable energy monitoring with the help of power supplies designed precisely for this application.
MORNSUN's Power Supply Solutions
MORNSUN has over 23 years of experience in powering electrical projects with a wide selection of reliable power supplies. From AC/DC converters to DC/DC converters and more, we can support engineers throughout the whole electrical circuit design and implementation process.
Our power supply solutions meet the industry's standards for quality and reliability. For example, our LS-R3 series is a collection of highly efficient green power AC/DC converters suitable for energy metering applications. They feature an ultra-wide input range accepting either AC or DC voltages. This series of MORNSUN AC/DC converters combine high efficiency with low power consumption and flexible design for a wide range of applications. The LS-R3 series also meets IEC/EN/UL62368 standards.
These AC/DC converters are particularly suitable for industrial control, electric power, instrumentation, and smart home applications that have high requirements for dimension. Among all the possible applications, smart meters and power consumption meters represent two crucial examples.
Contact us to discuss how MORNSUN can support your electrical design for power metering and other related applications.
