Electricity meter in your home - what data does it collect and what is the data used for?

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Sähköpääkeskus
An electricity meter is an integral part of your home's electrical system, and its function is to collect information about your energy consumption and potential energy production. Meter readings are transmitted via a data transfer connection from your home directly to the electricity distribution company.

1. What data does the electricity meter collect and on what basis?

The electricity meter collects data on the property's electricity consumption and possible electricity production. The meter records real-time information on current and voltage fluctuations, on the basis of which electricity consumption is measured. The meter also detects exceptional situations in the network, such as power outages. It is important for distribution companies to receive this information quickly so that disturbances in the electricity network can be corrected as efficiently as possible.

There are different types of electricity meters, and different distribution companies may have different meters that may vary in technology. Caruna's electricity meters will be renewed over the next few years, which will make the data collected from the meters even more accurate.

2. Can the meter data be trusted?

Electricity meters continuously collect data, but sometimes communication failures can prevent metering data from being transferred to the electricity distribution company's systems. In such situations, the data collected from the electricity meter is usually stored in the device's memory and can be collected again afterwards.

Caruna continuously monitors the reliability of the electricity meter by using automation. Caruna uses the event data of the electricity meter to ensure that the metering data invoiced is reliable.

3. Why is there a light flashing on the electricity meter?

The electricity meter may have more than one flashing LED light. The flashing light on the electricity meter indicates, for example, the level of electricity consumption. On some meters, a specific LED light may indicate a disconnection situation, such as a remote shutdown due to unpaid bills.

4. Why is a lot of electricity being consumed, is the meter broken?

Customers may wonder why their home's electricity consumption has increased suddenly. Often the reason is the onset of the heating season, when energy consumption increases significantly. For example, lowering the room temperature by one degree can reduce consumption by up to 10%. If you have doubts about the functionality of the meter, you can request an inspection of the meter from Caruna. If the meter works correctly, the costs of the inspection are borne by the customer.

If the meter has broken or measurement data cannot be collected, for example due to telecommunications problems, the readings will be delivered as estimates. The law obliges the electricity distribution company to estimate consumption as accurately as possible. Once the situation has been rectified, billing will be adjusted to reflect the meter readings collected afterwards.

5. Why is the electricity cut off at the electricity meter instead of the main switch?

When, for example, a summer cottage is put on winter rolls or the property is empty for a long time, it is recommended to turn off the electricity by the button on the electricity meter, not by the main switch of the main switchboard. Meter readings are currently delivered to Caruna once a day. Disconnecting the main switch may result in missing some of the measured readings for that day. This can affect consumption data and billing.

 

The text has been translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence.

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