Which Electricity Meters Is Better To Choose Electronic Or Induction

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24

Single phase or three phase
Maximum current value
Mounting method
Induction and electronic meters
Which is better: electronic or induction?
Selection recommendations
Electric brush selection video

Energy companies force their customers in various ways to replace the old electric meter. The question of how to choose an electric meter arises when the power supply system of a house or apartment is completely replaced, during major repairs and in many other cases. New equipment for measuring the amount of consumed energy has a number of features that must be considered when choosing. A distinctive feature can be called the accuracy class: the old models did not take into account the energy consumption of small capacities, the new ones have a more sensitive design and track the electricity consumption of equipment that is in standby mode.

Single phase or three phase

The first selection criterion is the number of phases. Many are considering the question of how to choose a single-phase electric meter due to the fact that in most cases the domestic network has only one phase. However, there is a possibility that a three-phase version needs to be connected.

If you are replacing old equipment, you can determine the number of phases as follows:

The old meter should be marked 220 V or 230 V. This feature means that there is only one phase in the network.
If the marking is represented by a value of 220/380 V or 230 / 400V, you must choose a three-phase version.

If the meter has not been installed before, you can determine the number of phases by the marking on the switchboard or you need to contact the power supply service for information.

Maximum current value

An important parameter is the value of the maximum current (Ampere). When considering how to choose an electricity meter, this parameter should be considered.

Operating current is an indicator that determines the amount of load at which energy consumption will be recorded. When choosing for this indicator, it is worth considering the following nuances:

The indicator is determined by the marking of the input circuit breaker.
If the circuit breaker has an indicator of 40 A, then we choose an electric meter with a load indicator up to 60 A.
If the labeling of the circuit breaker contains information in the form of a range, for example, from 40 to 100 A, then equipment for calculating the consumed electricity 100 A.

In a similar way, you can answer the question of how to choose an electric meter for an apartment in terms of the maximum current.

Mounting method

Another important design feature is how you can mount it. Often the case has a three-screw mounting model, but in some cases there is also a DIN rail. Before choosing, you should pay attention to which mounting method is best suited. When looking for an answer to the question of which electricity meters are better for an apartment, you should pay attention to where it will be installed.

Induction and electronic meters

If we consider which electric meter is better to install, it should be noted that such equipment is divided into two main categories: induction and electrical.

The features of the induction version include:

The presence of two coils: current and voltage.
The created magnetic field between these two coils causes the disc to spin.
The higher the current and voltage readings, the faster the disk will rotate, which means the power consumption will be significantly higher.

The problem of such an embodiment is that it is very difficult to achieve an accuracy class higher than 2 in their manufacture. However, the service life of the structure under consideration is more than 15 years. That is why, when looking for an answer to the question of which single-phase electricity meters are better, you can find advice on buying an induction one. According to the statistics carried out, more than 50 million of these variants are used on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Electronic can be called a modern approach to measuring energy consumption. Their work is based on direct measurement of the amount of consumed energy and the output of this information in electronic form. What kind of electricity meters are better to install in an apartment? Electronic have the following advantages:

Small overall dimensions.
High class of accuracy.
Displaying information in numerical form.
It is possible to include equipment in automated power supply systems.
There are practically no opportunities to change the readings.

As many think, a two-tariff electricity meter to choose for the house? The electronic type is more suitable for solving the problem of calculating the consumed electricity, taking into account the time-based division of tariffs. The only drawback of this version is its high sensitivity to overloads.

Which is better: electronic or induction?

Each version has a number of its advantages and disadvantages. On the question of, what kind of electricity meter opt for private homes abroad have encountered before in Russia. That is why you can pay attention to the choice made abroad.

Initially, when replacing, many began to acquire precisely electronic versions. Until a few years ago, about 95% of installed energy meters were electronic. However, the low reliability of the design led to the fact that in England after a while the percentage of installed induction and electronic meters became 40 to 60.

In conclusion, when considering, how best to put the electric meter, electronic or inductive, we note that many manufacturers of electronic put service life of 15 years. None of them have worked for the stated time due to the fact that they were not released so many years ago. Many induction versions have worked for about 50 years and after such a long period fit into the specified accuracy parameters.

Selection recommendations

Which electricity meter to choose? The choice must also be made taking into account the nuances below:

An increase in the accuracy class leads to a significant increase in the cost of the structure. If it is 1 or 0.5, then the cost of the structure is very high due to the complexity of its creation. For

electric meter class

use at home is enough accuracy class 2.0.
Counting across multiple rates is a good addition that is only relevant in certain cases. Therefore, it is not always profitable to purchase such an option.
When buying, you should pay attention only to products from well-known manufacturers. To reduce the cost of the design, some manufacturers use cheap components, which significantly reduces the service life. If you do not want to carry out repairs one or several years after installation, you should choose products from well-known manufacturers.

In conclusion, when considering the issue of choosing an electric meter for the home, we conclude: for domestic use, it is enough to purchase a design approved with an accuracy class of 2 and better than 1, electronic type with an operating current of 50 A. -60 Amperes from a well-known manufacturer.