How do prepaid electricity meters work?
As the name suggests, the prepaid meter is almost like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone. As long as you have a balance on your prepaid card, you will be provided with energy. When your credit balance gets to zero, you need to top-up your prepaid card to get energy supplied again.
How does it work?
As a consumer, you have to recharge your prepaid card for a certain amount of money. Then it can be fed as input into the Micro controller. The Micro controller collects information from the energy meter as well as the prepaid card. It then compares the energy meter reading with the energy limits to show the amount of energy consumed on an LCD or LED display. The prepaid energy meter shows the energy consumption in the form of 1 Unit or 1 kWh. 1 kWh refers to the unit of energy required to provide 1000 watts of power for 1 hour.
The prepaid energy meter is programmed so that once the funds are depleted, the power stops. When you top-up your prepaid card, the balance increases and the relay (an automatic switch) allows power to flow again. You will be notified via text message or email about daily energy consumption and your existing balance. This will help you to know when to recharge the prepaid card before the balance reaches zero. The display of the prepaid energy meter also shows your energy consumption and the balance amount.
Advantages of a Prepaid Energy Meter
Prepaid energy meters let you manage your energy usage efficiently and avoid building up debt for your energy usage. As the name implies, a prepaid energy meter requires you to pay for your energy in advance. Prepaid energy meters allow you to control your energy consumption, making it possible to check the remaining balance and top-up if necessary.
With the advent of prepaid energy meters, it is very easy to track energy consumption and be aware of your energy usage. This may help you change your usage habits and save at least 20% on energy consumption. Another significant advantage of a prepaid energy meter is that you can decide how much money you want to spend for your energy usage and cut down on energy consumption accordingly.
Prepaid energy meters allow you to calculate your daily usage and manage your account via a smartphone app or web portal. As an energy customer, you will be able to view your current balance and estimated usage for the days ahead.
Need for a Prepaid Energy Meter System
The traditional method of energy billing is quite tedious. It involves a number of tasks such as reading the meter, preparing the bill, etc. Accuracy is another issue when preparing the bill manually. The advent of prepaid energy meters eases the task of monthly energy billing even if an incorrect reading exists. The prepaid energy meter helps the energy providers and also consumers by allowing them to be aware of their energy usage.