Electricity Meters | Meteor Electical

An electrical meter is a device that is primarily used to track electricity consumption. Since you don’t get electricity for free, there is always a need for a method that allows you to measure the amount of power generated, and this is where electricity meters come in. At Meteor, you can find a good range of high-quality electricity meters that will suit all applications.

How Does an Electrical Meter Work?

An electrical meter is often placed at points where power lines enter a building – electricity meters work non-stop at all hours of the day, tracking power usage and displaying the amount of power you have used since it was installed. 

At Meteor, the electricity meters you get can measure the power usage in kilowatts (kWh). A watt is the smallest unit of electrical power, and a kilowatt equals a thousand watt-hours. 

An electrical meter can display this information in digital or dials format. If you want to find out the amount of energy used in any given period, you will have to take two readings and subtract the second reading from the first. 

Components of an Electrical Meter

• Meter number – The meter number of an electrical meter is the sequence of integers that are unique to each household/building/premise and is used to identify the energy usage. This can be found usually printed, next to, or under the display and does not change. 

• A display of the amount of electricity consumed since the installation of the electricity meter. 

Types of Electrical Meter Options at Meteor

Single-Phase Electric Meters

A single-phase energy meter is typically used for home appliances and is directly connected between the line and load. The single-phase electricity meter consists of two electromagnets where one is the shunt magnet and the other is the series magnet. 

In between the two magnets, there is an aluminum disk that is rotating in the magnetic field. The speed of this disk inside the single-phase electric meter is proportional to the part which is consumed by the appliance it is connected to. 

What is the Difference Between Single Phase and Three Phase Electricity Meters?

Single-phase electric meter systems are a system in which power flow through a single conductor only. There are only two wires that are required to complete the circuit such as one conductor and one neutral. 

On the other hand, the three-phase electricity meters have the power flow through three conductors and there are four wires required to complete the circuit, such as on neutral and three conductors. The three-phase electrical meter supply is continuous and never completely drops to zero but it can also be used as a single-phase system in some cases. 

Electronic Meters

Electronic meters are a type of electrical meter that are highly accurate, precise and much more reliable compared to the induction type of electricity meters. The electronic meter can consume far less power and starts measuring instantaneously when connected to the load. 

There are two different types of electric meters UK – digital and analogue electricity meters. In the analogue variety, the power is converted to frequency. On the other hand, the digital electricity meter measures the power directly. Electronic meters also have an LCD and the reading can be seen thanks to the backlit screen. 

It is possible to view the date, time, and MDI reading on an electronic meter. This type of electrical meter has many advantages over its electromechanical counterpart – electronic meters can show the connected load as well as the current passing through the meters along with the current MDI. This electrical meter option can also save the MDI for the previous four months. 

The general advantages that come with an electronic electricity meter include better accuracy, low current performance, and low voltage performance. In addition, an electronic electricity meter is difficult to tamper with and has a digital display. 

Modern solid-state electronic electricity meters contain advanced electronic components to measure electrical energy. Measurement accuracy of the electronic electric meter is about an order of magnitude better than that of a mechanical meter, while power consumption is lower by about two orders of magnitude. 

The electronic electrical meter is also much better at protecting against tampering compared to its older mechanical alternatives – units for prepayment electrical meter options (e.g card readers), and remote electrical meter reading (e.g wireless, telephone line, or internet) can easily be included. 

What is a Prepayment Electrical Meter?

A prepayment electricity meter can allow you to pay for your electricity usage in advance so that you can only use electricity that you have prepaid for. In the case that you run out of credit, your provider may back-charge you so that you can keep your supply running without your knowledge. 

This can lead to an energy debt, and so to avoid such a problem, it is crucial to always keep close attention to your electricity usage when using prepayment electricity meters. 

There are different types of prepaid electrical meter options that can read in the same manner as standard electricity meters. Prepayment electrical meter devices connect to a pay point that accepts tokens and keys, and you can purchase these at most corner shops, supermarkets, and other stores. 

Prepayment electricity meters are generally a good option for users who want to be conscientious about their energy consumption because they force you to limit the amount of electricity that you usually use. 

How to Read a Prepayment Electrical Meter

The method of checking how much credit you have left on a prepayment electrical meter varies depending on the type of prepayment electricity meter you have. 

Some prepayment electricity meters require you to insert your key in the electrical meter and this will allow you to change between the available screens. You will be able to view the credit you have left and the readings for your energy use on the electrical meter. 

On other prepayment electrical meters, you only have to press one button to cycle through the screens and find out what the remaining credit is and see the readings for your energy usage. 

Reading an Electrical Meter

Being able to read your electrical meter regularly has several advantages. To be able to take a note of your electrical meter reading, take a note of the first five figures shown left to right and ignore any numbers in red and after the decimal point. 

Here are some benefits to reading your electrical meter reading below. 

• Reading your electricity meter lets you know how much electricity you are using and through this, you will be able to tell how much it is costing you. 

• Knowing how to read an electricity meter allows you to provide regular electrical meter readings to your electricity supplier and ensure you are not being overcharged for your usage. 

• Reading an electrical meter is required to be able to provide accurate figures when comparing energy suppliers and tariffs. 

What is an electric MPAN number?

MPAN stands for Meter Point Administration Number. The electric MPAN number helps identifies electricity supply points. This electric MPAN number is typically a 21-digit number, beginning with the letter ‘S’. It is displayed in a grid. This is usually found under “details of charges” on a business electricity bill. This electrical meter number can also be found on your electricity bill as well as on your electricity meter device. 

This is different from MPRN meaning Meter Point Reference Number. This is a unique 11-digit number assigned to an electricity connection and meter.

What Units Does an Electrical Meter Measure?

An electricity meter installed in either a domestic, commercial, or industrial space can measure watts of electricity. A watt is the product of voltage and amperage (current) in an electrical circuit. 

This only represents a measure of electrical potential so there is the need for an element of time that has to be added to measure the actual energy usage through an electrical meter. This is how the electrical usage in space is the measurement of watts consumed over a particular period of time and it is expressed in the unit kilowatt-hours. 

How Accurate is an Electricity Meter?

An electric meter is designed to record electricity usage within an acceptable level of accuracy. Any sign that has a chance of occurring has the potential to affect both the consumer and the utility company – it can mean a consumer may be overbilled or a loss to the supplier. 

Therefore the degree of accuracy required of an electrical meter is established by the laws of the location in which the electricity meter is installed. These statutory provisions are also able to outline the procedures that must be followed in the event of a meter accuracy dispute. For more information on this topic and your specific area, talk to a professional at Meteor Electrical’s customer services. 

If there is any dispute about an electricity meter’s accuracy and functionality, the electrical meter can be compared with a check meter functioning alongside it, or more thoroughly tested at a specified calibration laboratory to verify accuracy. 

Location of the Electricity Meter

The location of the electricity meter differs from property to property but a general ruse is that any electricity meter is located where energy will enter the area. 

While in some domestic homes, the location of the electrical meter will be outside in an electric meter box. If the electricity meter is installed inside the building instead, you are likely to find the electrical meter mounted on a wall, in a garage, utility/laundry room, under the stairs, or in a cabinet in the kitchen. 

If the space is a block of flats, the electricity boxes will be located in either the shared utility room or in an understairs cupboard. Contacting your landlord or letting agent is a good idea if you still cannot locate your electricity meter. 

Who Owns your Electricity Meter? 

Despite the electricity meter being installed in your home, it does not belong to you but to your landlord. Electrical meters are the property of your electricity supplier and you will find the details of your supplier on your electrical energy meter contract or bill. 

This means that it is your electricity supplier who is responsible for ensuring that your electrical meter is in good working condition and is functioning properly no matter what type of device you have installed in your home. It is a good idea to keep an eye on your electrical meter so that you can alert your electricity supplier if there is any kind of issue. 

Electricity Meter Functionality

Here are some important functionalities of the electricity meter. 

• Electricity meters serve to measure the parameters in electricity consumption (mentioned by the kWh variable), the power that is active and contracted to kW, reactive electrical power (kvar), and the power factor.

  With all this information, it is possible to better know the electricity consumption of your home and be able to modify consumption habits accordingly. Significant saving on your electricity bill becomes much more possible.

• Phantom consumption can be checked through an electrical meter – this consumption is what is done with the lighting equipment in standby mode or the chargers.

• Through electricity meters, it is possible to evaluate the appearance of any current leakage. The current leaks are primarily caused by a hook-up or theft of electricity. You can verify this by unplugging all the equipment in the house and checking if the counter is not zero on the electricity meter.

• Electricity meters are used to find out the performance of electrical appliances that are connected to them. By unplugging all the appliances in the house except for the ones that need to be measured, it is possible to check their amount of consumption for them. 

What do MPAN and MPRN mean?

The Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) and the Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) are unique reference numbers used by energy suppliers, and you will often see if you have an electrical meter installed at your premise. 

The MPAN number is for your electricity meter and can be found on your electricity bill as well. On the other hand, the MPRN is the number for your gas meter and can be found on your gas bill. There may come a time when you will have to reference one of these if you decide to switch suppliers. 

However, it is unlikely that you will need to have any work done to your electricity meters just because you switch, unless you are switching to a tariff that requires a smart electrical meter, or you want to change your electricity meter type.