Energy Meter

Factory direct sales digital energy meter. Our energy meter is mounted on a 35mm DIN rail with an LCD display, direct connection up to 100A, and supports Modbus-RTU (RS-485) protocol communication. It is usually calibrated in billing units, the most common being kilowatt-hours (kWh), as well as current, active energy, reactive energy, and LCD power. Low-priced energy meters, ranging from single-phase to three-phase, are excellent smart devices for recording electricity consumption.

What is an energy meter?

An energy meter is a digital metering device that directly measures current and voltage through electronic sensors and microprocessors, and calculates electrical energy (kWh) in real time. It has high accuracy and supports intelligent functions such as data display and remote communication. Energy meters are devices that can be used to measure the electrical energy consumed by buildings, tenant spaces, or electrical equipment, and are widely used for household and industrial electricity metering. Electricity companies use meters installed at customer premises to measure the electrical energy delivered to customers for billing purposes.

How does an energy meter work?

The energy meter collects the voltage and current signals in the circuit in real time through the voltage sensor (voltage-dividing resistor) and the current sensor (shunt or mutual inductor). After the analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the analog-to-digital converter (ADC), the microprocessor calculates the instantaneous power according to the formula (voltage × current × power factor) and integrates the power over time to obtain the total energy. After the data is stored, the power is intuitively displayed on the LCD screen. The core advantages of the energy meter are high precision, strong anti-interference, and the ability to adapt to the digital management needs of the smart grid.

Single Phase Energy Meter vs. Three Phase Energy Meter

Single phase energy meter: Designed for single phase AC circuits, it directly measures the live wire current through a shunt (the range is usually ≤100A). The core function is to measure the total active energy (kWh), which is suitable for low-power scenarios such as homes and small shops (such as lighting and air conditioning). It has a simple structure and is easy to install. It can be directly connected to the home distribution box to meet the daily electricity metering needs.

Three phase energy meter: For three phase AC circuits (three-wire or four-wire system), it is necessary to match the current transformer to expand the range (>100A), support phase-by-phase independent measurement and total energy accumulation, and have more complex functions. It can monitor the voltage/current imbalance rate, count the maximum demand, analyze harmonics, and integrate remote communication (such as RS485/4G) to realize smart grid interaction. It is typically used in industrial equipment (motors, compressors), photovoltaic power generation grid connections and large commercial facilities. It requires professional three-phase wiring and load balance adjustment and is suitable for high-precision, high-power and intelligent management scenarios.

How to maintain the energy meter?

• Observation status: Regularly check whether the appearance of the energy meter is damaged, whether the seal is intact, and pay attention to whether the display screen is normal (no garbled or black screen).
• Abnormal monitoring: Pay attention to whether there is abnormal sound (mechanical meter), abnormal heating or burning smell when the energy meter is running (maybe overloaded or short-circuited).
• Surface dust removal: Wipe the outer shell of the energy meter with a dry cloth to avoid moisture or corrosive detergents to prevent liquid from penetrating into the interior.
• Environmental maintenance: Keep the installation environment dry and ventilated, away from high temperature, strong magnetic field or vibration source.
• Regular calibration: The power supply department or professional organization shall check the accuracy every 2-3 years.
• Wiring check: Make sure the terminal screws are tightened to prevent looseness and poor contact (power-off operation is required).