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From: liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid (Liz Tuddenham)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: energy in UK
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2025 15:38:28 +0100
Organization: Poppy Records
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Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

> On 2025-04-18 09:53, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
> > Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
> > 
> >> On 2025-04-17 23:11, Don Y wrote:
> >>> On 4/17/2025 1:44 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> >>>> Probably all of Spain has smart meters now. But the reason was, AFAIK,
> >>>> that here the contract limits the current you can draw. For instance,
> >>>> a contract can say that you can draw 15A (3450W). The meter has the
> >>>> ability to switch off when you try to draw 16A for a time.
> >>>
> >>> Wow!  Now THAT is interesting.  Here, the size of your service
> >>> (ampacity) effectively determines what you can use -- that, and your
> >>> wallet.
> >>
> >> I think that is an Spanish only feature.
> >>
> >> They charge us for the watts we actually take, and also a fixed monthly
> >> amount for the size of the pipe. Meaning, if we contract for a maximum
> >> of 15A, we pay for that, €/month. If we contract 30A, we pay double
> >> fixed amount per month. And the smart meter controls that we don't
> >> contract 20 and take 21.
> >>
> >> So people try to contract the minimum they actually need.
> > [...]
> > 
> > Is there some time-averaging provision for high start-up transients,
> > such as motors would need?
> 
> Yes. The trigger is slow.
> 
> 
> > Is the metering based on wattage or current?
> 
> Before smart meters, it was certainly current, a slow switch triggered
> by heat or a magnetic field.  With smart meters I don't actually know.
> 
> The meters measure watts.
> 
> > 
> > The current draw of a multiple lighting installation in a shop may be
> > capacitive or the motors in a small workshop would be inductive and this
> > would determine the size of cables needed, so current-based netering
> > would make sense for that purpose.  The current wouldn't be
> > representative of the energy used, so wattage-based metering would make
> > sense for energy-consumption billing purposes.
> 
> I suppose current smart meters can also measure the power factor.

I expect they could easily do both - but I would be worried about which
one was used to calculate my bill.


-- 
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk