Re: Automatic power metering - existing products and new functions

Noen wrote:
>
> My problem relates to automatic power metering (by electric power
> supplier to private homes) using existing off-the-shelf products. I am
> currently looking at enhancing existing automatic metering systems
> (e.g. with "residental gateway" solutions supplied by Echelon or
> Ericsson) with added functionality and better data security. The
> problem is interfacing the new equipment with existing equipment,
> because the existing equipment are of different makes and models, and
> the installation is done by technicians with very limited engineering
> skills.
>
> Further, considering addtional future needs (which have not been
> thought of yet), the way to go seems to be the design of an interface
> module that can handle all existing equipment and any new equipment to
> make the design of new equipment independent of varying existing
> equipment (only the interface protocol needs to be considered).

If you are considering designing your own interface, here's some ideas
base on a simple laser pointer shining on a conventional watthour meter
disk:

Watt Watcher
http://www.cedarnet.org/smartware/Hardware/WattWatcher/

Electric meter reader
http://www.seanadams.com/pge/

UK Electricity usage monitor
http://offog.org/code/electricity.html

Here's another concept that will keep over-unity optimists happy:

"The Energy Conservation Circuit is a patented circuit that
provides economic savings when applied to existing electrical
circuitry supplied by alternating current. The device allows the
magnetic field to be altered in such a way which significantly
reduces the power consumption necessary to operate a given load,
whereby the more the load the greater the savings."

"Savings up to 22% have been measured at peak operating times."

http://www.affs.org/html/the_energy_trimmer.html

Mike Monett
.

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