Smart meters are being rolled out across the UK.
Some love them, some hate them, most don’t understand a thing about them…
We’re here to change that.
How do smart meters work?
The roll-out of smart meters across the UK is well underway, and doesn’t look to be slowing down.
The government’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy said that by the end of March 2018 there were well over 10 million smart meters already installed across the UK. Of course, since then – this number has grown and grown.
Both domestic and non-domestic sites are making use of this incredible technology, but not many really seem to know why they are so game-changing…
Why are smart meters being rolled out?
The distribution of smart meters across the UK is part of government plans to modernise the energy network, which will in turn improve energy efficiency, help us understand energy consumption better, and reduce our countries carbon footprint.
What are the benefits of the smart meter roll-out?
No longer will we rely on estimated bills and will gain better awareness of energy being consumed. The overwhelming majority of people surveyed with smart meters installed say they’re better aware of their consumption and have taken further steps to become more sustainable. A better awareness of consumption and the UK’s shift to a smart grid will enable better integration of renewable technologies – making a cleaner energy network for everyone.
How do they work?
Smart meters need to be installed free of charge by contacting your supplier to arrange a timeslot. Meters get up and running in no time at all. They work in a very similar way to traditional meters that register the amount of energy you use. However, there is a key difference in that smart meters are capable of communication – doing so in two ways; between nearby devices and with your energy supplier.
Smart meters and communication
Any communications hub and smart appliance you own can be communicated with. This will be done via a Home Area Network (HAN), and for domestic customers, this will also include a smart display.
Smart meters will then communicate your energy consumption to your energy supplier via the Wide Area Network (WAN). All of the data communicated across these networks is heavily encrypted, with the infrastructure for both HAN and WAN being deployed by the Data Communications Company.
Smart meters will measure energy consumption and communicate it directly with your supplier, which eliminates the need for you to take readings. They can also communicate other important information about meter functionality. They record consumption every 30 minutes but it remains entirely up to you when you share that information with your supplier. This means it could be as frequent as every 30 minutes, or as infrequent as once a month.
Only the necessary information is sent and is put under the protection of a special standard of encryption, this ensures the data sent from your meter to your supplier is safe. Once the readings have been sent, you will receive an accurate, up-to-date bill without every having to contact your supplier to provide readings.
Measuring Energy – Sports
Did you know that Six Nations rugby players generate enough power to cook over 800 pizzas?
Research from the 2019 competition revealed that players produce the equivalent of 46kWh of power through their energetic play during the course of the championship.
But what other interesting stats were revealed?
Well, it was found that alongside the 46kWh of power, Amazon Alexa could respond to around 11,500 questions about the rules of the game. Who ever said rugby was simple?
The power generated could cook 848 half-time pizzas for fans across the country, boil 460 kettles for a full-time cuppa, and charge 3,066 phones that can be used to tweet about final results.
46kWh is the equivalent of:
- Amazon Alexa responding to 11,500 questions
- Boiling 460 kettles
- Charging 3,066 mobile phones
- Washing 20 loads of rugby kit
Wimbledon Weather – The ultimate source of PV power?
The Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and arguably the most prestigious. Fans watch intense gameplay across 19 grass courts, in the categories of; men’s singles, women’s singles, doubles competitions, youth competitions, wheelchair matches.
All of this watched with a glass of champagne in hand and numerous bowls of strawberries and cream. The tournament has been hosted at the All England Club for well over 130 years now.
There are those who believe that Wimbledon takes place during the only week of sun we have in the UK every summer. In fact, many swear that they have never seen a grey cloud at Wimbledon.
- In 1976 the warmest tournament averaged 30.8C
- In 1906 the wettest day of Wimbledon was recorded
- In 1985 a storm with an inch of rain falling in 20 mins
- The hottest day on record was in July 2015, but broken this year
- The coldest tournament was in in 1999 at a temperature of 4.9C
- 32 days have been rained off in the last 135 years
But, according to the stats above – this isn’t really true.
Since 1877, 32 days have been rained off, the courts have been soaked by an inch of rain in twenty minutes, and temperatures have soared to 35C. There has only ever been five tournaments with no rain at all; 1878, 1903, 1908, 1949, 1993.
The Wimbledon’s Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain in 2009, which has helped add to the myth that Wimbledon never rains. This allows the schedule of gameplay (for the main matches) to remain unaffected by the weather.
Closing the roof takes a total of 40 minutes – which includes time for the air to be conditioned and climate corrected. The referee is the one who makes the final decision on when to cover the courts, with the sooner they’re covered, the sooner the court will dry out and play can resume.
So, maybe not the ultimate source of PV power that many believe…
Niccolo Gas and Power
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