A country is defined by two major factors, its economy, and resources. The two factors are co-dependent for the country to prosper.
The resources a country might have can vary depending on the demographics and geography. However, some of them remain constant. One such prime example is electricity.
Electrical resources have a great impact on the country’s smooth functioning and economic progress.
Resources and Cost
We live in a ‘give and take ‘world. Any kind of usage of resources or services incurs a certain cost. Electricity is no different from this notion. It is an unwritten international rule that the end consumers have to pay for the usage of electricity.
However, the rates and billing system differ from one government to another.
While some countries have a centralized electrical grid managed and maintained strictly by the government, others have a decentralized approach where some components are taken care of by private limited companies.
The rates of electricity tariff are dependent on various aspects, like the kind of usage, generation types, storage details, transportation, taxes, etc. While all the other factors might have a simple mode of operation, the usage factor can be varied.
The most important factor that is used in determining electricity bills is the calculation of unit consumption, which is usually done by an electric meter.
Half-Meters
Any kind of electric connection is broadly categorized into two types: Residential and Commercial. These categories are based on the usage and wattage factor. Whatever might be the kind of connection, its measure is an important factor in determining the final bill amount.
Over time when electricity has been commercialized during the 1880s, electric meters have undergone immense technological advancements.
The latest in this trend is the half-meters. It is common knowledge that Business electricity prices usually have skyrocketing values. To combat such immense bills, many governments and private electric distribution agencies have adopted the use of half-meters.
Half-meters are essentially smart meters that record the usage of electrical units within a frequency of half-hour as opposed to those used for residential ones.
Any electricity grid experiences demand surges during certain points in time throughout the day and vice versa. While these surges and drops might not hamper the meter reading for low-powered residential connections, they have a rippling impact on the commercial ones. The half-hour meter reading helps commercial customer primarily in two ways:
- The half-hour reading provides a more meticulous account of electricity usage in any commercial establishment, thereby generating a thorough and fair bill amount
- As the reading is real-time in these half-meters, they provide a pattern of usage, which can be kept in check, in case there is any misuse, thereby reducing the bill cost largely
Besides, the power usage data is often used by the service providers to give incentives to the commercial users so that they can voluntarily reduce their usage during the predicted demand surges in the electric grid.
With the aid of these kinds of devices, electricity usage and its tracking have become quite easier, which in turn helps a lot on environment conservation itself.