Smart meters will help save on electricity bills

Nazarbayev University scientists developed a “smart” electricity meters system. A group of researchers led by Professor Mehdi Bagheri has come up with an invention that will allow tracking energy consumption. According to the scientist, this “smart meter”  can be used in residential complexes, as well as in cars, large industries and shopping centers. The system is based on the “Internet of Things” technology, which collects energy consumption data online and instantly transfers it to the user. Such monitoring not only can allow customers to understand how much electricity was actually consumed but also helps to save on electricity bills.

“This meter can give advice to consumers, for example, that today you have gone beyond the preset limits of energy consumption. And in this way, you can regulate your electricity consumption. Or, for example, we can program the system to a certain limit on monthly electricity bills. That is, you can set a certain limit for yourself – spend no more than $ 20 per day on electricity. And as soon as you exceed this limit, the system will send you an alert” explains Professor Mehdi Bagheri.

The ‘smart’ meter prototype, assembled in Professor Bagheri’s laboratory, is ready and working, but investment is needed for mass production. According to the scientist, private energy companies, venture capitalists, or the state could possibly invest in such a development.

Another advantage of the “smart” monitoring system is the ability to configure its algorithm for different ranges of power consumption. Thus, both residents of small apartments and the Ministry of Energy can use the system.

“The Ministry of Energy can use this system to monitor the energy consumption of large enterprises, both industrial and commercial. Difficulties can arise only in access to information of homeowners – often residents do not want to provide their private data to the state, including their energy consumption data. However, for commercial and industrial enterprises, this can come in handy. This data will allow the Ministry of Energy not only to track energy consumption, but also to predict it, which can be useful” says Professor Bagheri.

According to the scientist, if now ‘smart’ meters can only monitor the parameters of energy consumption, then in the future it is possible to create a similar system for monitoring the consumption of water and heat.