Kilowatt Hour Meters- Learn The Basics

Kilowatt hour meters are used to discover the exact amount of electricity used by a consumer. It successfully monitors the actual consumption of power for all who are wary of their overall electricity consumption.

It should be read from the right side to the left on the dials where the lowest number is to be recorded on each of them. When the dial shows a solid number, it is reduced by 1 when the dial on the right reads between 0 and 9. The kilowatt hour reading is calculated by simply taking down the reading and subtracting it from the reading taken last month. This gives the exact reading for the month. An important thing to keep in mind is the multipliers that are indicated on the front. For example, the total reading is to be multiplied by five if there is an X5 symbol on the front.

These kilowatt hour meters work in two different ways. One is electromechanical and the other one is solid state. An electromechanical watt hour meter uses an aluminum disk that is acted upon by set of copper coils. A particular coil produces a flux corresponding to the current produced by the magnet placed on the inside of the reader. A permanent magnet placed inside replicates the exact speed of these spinning discs, thereby providing the exact reading.

A solid state electromagnetic meter makes use of a current transformer for reading the power levels. It is done by monitoring the conductors carrying the current through the transformer.

Dr. Hermann Aron was responsible for designing the first fully functional kilowatt hour meter back in 1883. It was introduced in the market in 1888. The design of the direct current (DC) power meter allowed the calculation of energy consumption over a period of time. The first kilowatt hour meter for monitoring the alternating current (AC) power was designed by a Hungarian named Otto Blathy, who received an award for his work in 1889. With the passage of time, all of these designs went though numerous improvements and evolved into a kilowatt hour meter that is being extensively used today.

There are many types of watt hour meters, depending upon the way they are used. The commutator type watt hour meter is extensively used for the measurement of current in the DC circuits. Induction type watt hour meter measures the power in the AC circuits and are the ones that are seen outside of most houses. There are certain watt hour meters, called totalizing meters, that record the power being used in more than one circuit. They are highly accurate and portable and are even used for testing an installed watt hour meter.

If you are interested in finding kilowatt hour meter, be sure to visit http://www.hoytmeter.com/.