An electric meter is an electric meter designed to take into account the energy consumption of both alternating and direct current. Electricity in this case is measured in kilowatts / hour (kW / h). Where it is necessary to control and monitor the consumption of electric energy for certain periods of time, it is necessary to connect an electric meter.
Electric meters are single-phase and three-phase. The electric meter is connected via a measuring current transformer (in case of indirect connection), however, you can do without them (direct connection). Installing an electric meter in a network with a voltage of up to 380 Volts requires the use of the device for an electric current of 5 to 25 A. This is a mandatory rule. The choice of the electric meter is carried out in view of their types. Currently, there are two main ones - electronic and induction meters. Answering the question of which is better - electronic or induction - is quite difficult. It all depends on the functions assigned to them.
The induction electric meter is based on the principles of operation of the magnetic forces of the inductor and voltage with the magnetic force of an aluminum disk. As a result of this interaction, the number of revolutions of the disk will also reflect the energy consumption. To add speed use a counting mechanism. Such counters are extremely simple, but already outdated. They cannot maintain multi-tariff metering and are not able to transmit readings remotely. Connecting an electric meter operating on an induction circuit is a simple matter, and in most cases does not even require special knowledge.
Electronic meters are based on microcircuits. In such devices there are no rotating parts, they simply convert the signals from the measuring elements into directly proportional quantities. Such electronic meters have high reliability and accuracy.
During a process such as connecting an electric meter, you need to pay attention to some parameters of the devices. On the front side must be indicated either the number of revolutions of the disk for induction meters, or the number of pulses for electronic meters, which correspond to 1 kW / h.
An important parameter must be called the accuracy class of the electric meter. This parameter indicates the degree of measurement error. Also, the tariff rating of the device should be called the most important parameter and pay attention to it with such a procedure as connecting an electric meter. Until recently, almost all the meters that were used in everyday life were strictly single-tariff. Modern digital meters can keep records of the zones of the day, and even the time of year.
Multi-tariff options are also beneficial for the consumer: a system developed for such electric electricity meters allows you to automatically switch the tariff from day to night (at night the tariff is much lower, which motivates users to align the daily load schedule).