Enhancing Energy Efficiency with a Smart Metering System

The demand for electricity has grown significantly over the past century. One effective way to address today's energy challenges is by reducing household energy consumption. This highlights the importance of accurate and cost-effective power measurement methods. The research hopes to design a Smart Energy Meter (SEM) capable of not only measuring power usage in kilowatt- hours (kWh) but also displaying real-time consumption in monetary terms based on consumer tariffs. This eliminates the need for meter readers to visit individual households for data collection and bill distribution. Our prototype of the SEM is free of any rotating components. Energy usage is computed by measuring voltage and current through a potential divider and respective sensors. Power is calculated as voltage times current, measured in watts or kilowatts, while energy is determined by multiplying power (watts) by time (hours). These formulas are implemented using Arduino programming. The system includes a microcontroller interface and utilizes a 20×4 LCD for display.