Why take the time, effort, energy and expense of employing a team of meter readers to visit every utility meter in your working zone regularly, when smart metering can digitally send information about the readings and potential leaks direct to your energy provider? So, if smart meters are so good, what can they do?
It’s All in The Digital Technology
Utility company customers will benefit by the installation of smart meters over time. This is because smart metering will provide accurate and consistent energy bills.
Smart meters provide customers with a readout that shows exactly how much energy you are using at any given moment. This gives the customer the flexibility of knowing whether the electricity, water, or gas is flowing effectively, is flowing too fast because of a leak or providing you with the opportunity to cut back on usage because you’re using too much, compared to your budget. Essentially smart metering puts the customer in control of how much of the services are used.
The technology used in most meters currently in operation, were designed many years ago. The new digital technology both automatically and wirelessly sends accurate data to your utility provider.
One clear benefit is to eliminate the need for utility companies to send out projected energy invoices, based on a guess and estimate about how much of the services the customer is likely to use in between actual meter readings.
Smart metering provides customers with a better understanding of how they are using the service. The customer can become much smarter at the ways in which they use energy, understanding its real value and adjusting their usage where necessary.
A Reduction in Global Warming
However small the saving for the environment, smart metering is an efficient and much lower carbon method of gathering detail about everyone’s energy use. Where customers wish to be as environmentally friendly as possible, smart metering puts them in control and ensures an accurate billing system and less time wasted arguing with utility company over the size of the bill.
The best of the meters will be able to send information that may suggest there is a leak in the customer’s service at their property. This will be detected when there is a sudden increase in use of one of the energy sources that is not impacted by dramatic changes in the weather.
Customers can respond to this information by asking their utility company to provide smart meters at their earliest convenience.