reading power consumtion in real time with smart electric meter

beer_time

Hi

I own a smart meter (no I dont own it I just rent it)

And I would like to know if I can read from it how much electric is being drawn at any one given time

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Smart meters normally come with an In House Display (IHD) which shows electricity usage in kWs and kWhs. The meter itself will not provide this information. 

If you choose a supplier like Octopus, and agree to 30 minute usage recording, then the online account will show the amount of electricity used in each 30 minute period.

Gerry1

You don't need a smart meter to do that, just look at the red LED marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar, and do the sums.

For example, 50 flashes (impulses) per minute = 3000 flashes per hour = 3kWh per hour = 3kW.

Reed_Richards

Back in the days of analogue meters you could judge your rate of power consumption by how fast the large wheel was rotating.  Seems a retrograde step that you can't do this anymore.  

beer_time

Reed_Richards said:

Back in the days of analogue meters you could judge your rate of power consumption by how fast the large wheel was rotating.  Seems a retrograde step that you can't do this anymore.  

you mean time it with a stop watch?

Reed_Richards

beer_time said:

you mean time it with a stop watch?

If necessary, but it was easy to tell the difference between the wheel whizzing round when you were boiling a kettle and just rotating slowly if nothing much was drawing power.  Just a quick look was enough to estimate the instantaneous power consumption.

Tiexen

beer_time said:

Hi

I own a smart meter (no I dont own it I just rent it)

And I would like to know if I can read from it how much electric is being drawn at any one given time

Thanks

Yes i'm currently using £0.04 pence per hour for electric and £0.00 pph for gas

beer_time

Gerry1 said:

You don't need a smart meter to do that, just look at the red LED marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar, and do the sums.

For example, 50 flashes (impulses) per minute = 3000 flashes per hour = 3kWh per hour = 3kW.

there are 2 red lights flashing one with KW written on it

But I dont understand what they mena

Gerry1

beer_time said:

Gerry1 said:

You don't need a smart meter to do that, just look at the red LED marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar, and do the sums.

For example, 50 flashes (impulses) per minute = 3000 flashes per hour = 3kWh per hour = 3kW.

there are 2 red lights flashing one with KW written on it

But I dont understand what they mena

If there is a light marked '1000 Imp/kWh' it means that after it has flashed 1000 times you have use one kiloWatt hour, costing 15p or whatever your tariff charges you.  The faster it flashes, the more it's costing you.

st999

Gerry1 said:

You don't need a smart meter to do that, just look at the red LED marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar, and do the sums.

For example, 50 flashes (impulses) per minute = 3000 flashes per hour = 3kWh per hour = 3kW.

Not everyone's meter is inside and easily accessible.
Mine is outside and since it is a smart meter I never need to go outside in the pouring rain  or freezing cold to read it, I just look at the IHD
I don't understand why some people are so against them.

beer_time

Gerry1 said:

beer_time said:

Gerry1 said:

You don't need a smart meter to do that, just look at the red LED marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar, and do the sums.

For example, 50 flashes (impulses) per minute = 3000 flashes per hour = 3kWh per hour = 3kW.

there are 2 red lights flashing one with KW written on it

But I dont understand what they mena

If there is a light marked '1000 Imp/kWh' it means that after it has flashed 1000 times you have use one kiloWatt hour, costing 15p or whatever your tariff charges you.  The faster it flashes, the more it's costing you.

I still dont get it!

Dose that mean i need to see how many times it flashes in an hour