The introduction of intelligent electricity meters
Smart meters, also known as intelligent electricity meters, help households to reduce their own energy consumption and at the same time significantly limit pollutant emissions.
The development of these devices can be traced back to 2008, after which the federal government launched a program to regulate the mandatory installation of smart meters. The entry into force of this measure, including retrofitting in rented and owner-occupied apartments, was already planned for 2017, but the starting signal was delayed until February 2020.
So far, however, very few households have felt anything of this measure, although the voluntary switch to a smart meter could already be worthwhile today.
The savings potential of the Smart Meter
The smart meter costs around 60 euros per year for a family home with four people. In addition to the annual savings potential of 60 to 150 euros, the intelligent electricity meter also reduces CO2 emissions by 100 to 260 kilograms, as co2online puts it in a press release.
In advance, however, price comparisons and projections should be used to determine whether the smart meter is financially worthwhile for your own household. Because the savings potential varies depending on the household and can therefore also be below the costs.
In addition, further costs in the form of assembly and conversion of the meter box can make the purchase of the smart meter even more expensive. According to the consumer center, these costs would arise in around 25 percent of households, as the press portal reports.
How does the smart meter work
The intelligent electricity meter consists of two components. On the one hand, a digital electricity meter is installed, on the other hand, a communication unit – which is also called a gateway.
The gateway is the real heart of the smart meter, it allows meter readings to be saved, allowing the consumer to precisely track how much energy he has used in a given month. In addition, the gateway sends the recorded data to the electricity provider, which means that the analog home visit is no longer necessary.
Another feature of the smart meter is the intelligent consumption of electricity, so the device measures how much renewable energy is currently in circulation. This means that if a lot of wind energy is produced at a certain point in time – which cannot be stored – the electricity is cheaper at that point in time. The smart meter would then switch on energy-guzzling devices such as the tumble dryer at precisely this point in time, which in turn would mean that the consumer would benefit from cheaper electricity.
Henry Ely / Editor finanzen.net
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