wireless energy meter

WIRELESS ENERGY METER WITH AUTOMATIC TARIFF CALCULATION

1. Introduction

Remote Energy Meter (WEM) is the innovation of naturally gathering

information from vitality meter and exchanging that information to a focal database for

charging and/or investigating. This spares worker treks, and implies that charging can be

founded on real utilization as opposed to on an appraisal in light of past utilization, giving

clients better control of their utilization of electric vitality. Vitality Monitor is an

individual from a group of sensors, controllers and foundation that is utilized to Transmit

particular vitality related data from different areas into a main issue or accumulation

focus in the office in this very case an utility recipient. With the quick advancements in

the Wireless correspondence innovation with the utilization of the microcontrollers, there

are numerous changes in mechanizing different mechanical perspectives for diminishing

manual endeavors.

The conventional manual Meter-Reading was not reasonable any more as it

spends much human and material asset and achieves extra issues. In gathering the

readings and charging physically. Presently a-days the quantity of Electricity buyers is

expanding in an awesome number. It got to be trying in both creating and keeping up the

force according to the developing necessities. Keeping up the force is likewise a vital

assignment as creating the force right away; the human administrator goes to the

customer's home and delivers the bill according to the meter perusing. In the event that

the shopper is not accessible, the charging procedure will be pending and human

administrator again needs to return to the pending houses. Setting off to every single

buyer's home and creating the bill is a difficult errand and requires part of time.

It turns out to be exceptionally troublesome particularly in blustery season. In the

event that any purchaser did not pay the bill, the administrator needs to go to their homes

to detach the force supply. These procedures are redundant and take so much time. In

addition, Human administrator can't discover the Un-approved associations or acts of

neglect did by the purchaser to diminish or stop the meter perusing/power supply. WEM

(remote vitality meter) puts more control under the control of both utilities and shoppers

by giving them more nitty gritty data about force utilization. This permits utilities to

Department of EEE, ACEM


better control supply. WEM can tackle above troubles. Along these lines, remote WEM

and administration through sorts of system advances has turned into a pattern now.

2. Motivation

Thorough exploration has been done on the Numerous frameworks have been

produced utilizing Wireless Sensor Networks which comprises of a few sensor hubs in

closeness and having information transmission and gathering capacity amongst hubs and

focal base station for extensive variety of utilizations. Despite the fact that underlying

organization expense might be high, the operational expense of information

correspondence inside the framework is immaterial. With the quick advancements in the

Wireless correspondence innovation by the utilization of microcontrollers, there are

numerous enhancements in mechanizing different modern perspectives for lessening

manual endeavors. The customary manual Meter Reading was not reasonable for more

working purposes as it spends much human and material asset. It gets extra issues

estimation of readings and charging physically.

Presently a-days the quantity of Electricity purchasers is expanding in incredible

degree. It turned into a hard errand in taking care of and keeping up the force according

to the developing necessities. Without further ado upkeep of the force is likewise an

imperative errand as the human administrator goes to the buyer's home and delivers the

bill according to the meter perusing. On the off chance that the purchaser is not

accessible, the charging procedure will be pending and human administrator again needs

to return to. Heading off to every single customer's home and producing the bill is an

arduous assignment and requires parcel of time. It turns out to be exceptionally

troublesome particularly in blustery season. On the off chance that any purchaser did not

pay the bill, the administrator needs to go to their homes to detach the force supply.

These procedures are tedious and hard to handle.

In addition, the manual administrator can't discover the Un- approved associations

or acts of neglect completed by the purchaser to diminish or stop the meter

perusing/power supply The human blunder can open an open door for debasement done

by the human meter per user. So the issue which emerges in the charging framework can



get to be incorrect and wasteful. The accessibility of remote correspondence media has

made the trading of data quick, secured and precise. The computerized execution brought

on the quick use of gadgets, for example, PCs and telecom gadgets. Correspondence

media like the web, GSM systems, and so forth exists all over the place. Remote meter

perusing puts more control under the control of both utilities and shoppers by giving them

more nitty gritty data about force utilization. This permits utilities to better direct supply.

In this way, remote meter perusing framework and administration sorts of system

innovations has turned into a pattern now.

A system has been created to peruse power meter readings from a remote server

naturally utilizing the current GSM systems for PDAs. This procedure can be connected

for gas or water meters also. The meters send the meter readings like kilo-watt-hour

(kWh), voltage, current, bill, and so on by SMS to a focal server. The focal server then

stores the data in database for examination and sends the bill to the client cellular

telephone.

The SMS based information gathering should be possible rapidly and effectively.

Information can be gathered after any fancied time interim, for example, hourly, every

day, week by week, or month to month premise. As there is no human mediation in the

whole procedure, there is no possibility of human mistake and defilement. In the greatly

awful climate conditions like overwhelming snow, downpour, storm, and so on the

framework won't hamper on gathering information the length of GSM systems are steady.

The advancement expense of the SMS based remote meter will be higher than

traditional meter however the electric supplier income will increment in the progressive

months since it will kill the likelihood of defilement done by the client or starting a per

user. Remote meter can be utilized as a part of private flats and particularly in mechanical

buyers where mass vitality is expended.

3. History of Meters:

With the development of country’s economy and the improvement of National

power, the power requirement is still ever increasing due to use of improper power

management systems and the conventional energy metering system. Over the past years,



metering devices have gone through much improvement, and are expected to become

even more sophisticated, offering more and more services.

Meters in the past, and today in a few countries, were electromechanical devices

with poor accuracy and lack of configurability. Theft detection was also a challenge.

Such meters are limited to providing the amount of energy consumption on site.

Generally, there are two types of Energy Meters:

I. Analog Energy Meter

II. Digital Energy Meter

Analog Energy Meter : Analog energy meter is the first intentional meter starting from

the Thomas Alva Edison .Up to 2005 the analog energy meter is used. That energy meter

is having many disadvantages are as follows:

I. Ageing of magnet.

II. Low accuracy.

III. Low efficiency.

IV. No sensing & indication of low meter.

V. Analog energy meter can be made.

VI. We can slow down the resourcing speed of the energy meter.

Digital Energy Meter: Digital energy meter is the second generation of analog energy

meter or modified meter. Instead of Analog meter LED indicator is used this meter has

the current sensing element are used. That energy meter is having many disadvantages

are as follows:

I. Highly Person dependant.

II. Human errors cannot be avoided.

III. Accessibility of meters in rural/ Agricultural zones.

IV. Energy Audits performed based on bill collection which is highly

inaccurate.

V. Billing done mainly on estimated/ monthly average basis

VI. Inability to monitor and control discrete loads



4. WEM Mechanism:

The purpose of this is to remote monitoring and control of Domestic Energy

Meter. This system enables Electricity Department to read meter readings regularly

without the person visiting each house. This can be achieved by use of the

Microcontroller unit that continuously monitors and records the Energy Meter reading in

its permanent (non-volatile) memory location. This system also makes use of RF

transmitter remote monitoring and controlling of Energy Meter Recent developments in

this direction seem to provide opportunities in implementing energy efficient metering.

Technologies that are more precise and accurate, error free, etc.

4.1. Vital Features Of WEM:

The implementation of WAMRS provides with many vital features as compared

with the analog utility meter reading with man power. Some of these features are listed

below:

1. Higher speed.

2. Improved load profile.

3. Automatic billing invoice.

4. Real time energy cost.

5. Load management.

6. Alarm warning.

7. Remote power switches on/off.

8. Tamper detection.

9. Bundling with water and gas.



5. Methodologies Used:

5.1. Medias for Wireless Communication:

There are many ways are available for communication such as:-

1. RF Communication

2. Wi-Fi Communications

3. Bluetooth Communications

4. Zigbee Communications

Out of which every communication is having its own advantages and

disadvantages. The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are widely used for wireless communication.

This can be done using RF and Zigbee also but is deals with the Zigbee Wireless

communication system. But we use a zigbee technology for doing this because the RF

technology is having some disadvantages.

6. Block Diagram of WEM:

Fig: 6.1.Wireless Energy Meter Monitoring System With Automatic Tariff

Calculation



The microcontroller based system continuously records the readings and the live

meter reading can be sent to the Electricity Department on request. The receiver end

comprises of RF receiver which receives the data from the transmitter. The data received

at the receiver end is fed to the microcontroller which is present at the receiving end. The

microcontroller at the receiving end is provided with a LCD interfacing and also few

control switches for tariff selection (domestic agricultural, industrial) can be done

dynamically by the operator. The microcontroller automatically takes the responsibility

of calculating the bill with the data received from the RF transmitter which is present

with the energy meter and the tariff provided by the operator and displays the same on

LCD. The major advantage of this system is making use of RF module which helps for a

wireless transmission and the use of tariff buttons makes the device eligible to operate for

both domestic billing and industrial billing and therefore there is no requirement to

employ a separate device for industrial billing. It is mainly divided into two parts.

1. Transmission Panel.

2. Receiver Panel.

1. Transmission Panel:

Transmission section is fitted in customer’s house. In this section the Energy

Meter is interfaced with microcontroller. Now microcontroller performs the action of

recording and storing energy meter reading in its memory location. Digital Energy Meter

generates a pulse whenever a unit is consumed or energy is recorded in pulsating signal.

This pulse is given to microcontroller. Then this analog data which is in form of electrical

pulses is converted to digital output through ADC operation performed by controller

itself. The generated digital output is then transmitted by using RF technique. To perform

such operation controller needs required supply which is suitably provided through power

supply unit. LED is used as indicator to check whether trans-receiver transfer is proper.

Microcontroller is also connected to display unit which continuously shows energy

reading.



2. Receiver Panel:

Receiver section is mobile i.e. it can be taken wherever required. It’s main

purpose is to collect Energy Meter readings from all customers hence it is for electricity

distribution utility. Basic architecture of receiver panel is similar to that of transmission

panel. Receiver generates all ranges of frequencies to collect data from customer panels.

After receiving readings, this digital data is again converted back to analog form by

microcontroller application through DAC. Charge per unit of consumption is already

programmed in receiver panel microcontroller. So energy bill is generated by same

microcontroller by performing simple arithmetic operations.

7. Disadvantages of RF:

1. Power Needs:

Like most other forms of electronic communication, radio requires the

presence of electricity, both at the point of the transmission and the point of reception.

While battery-powered radios are common, these power needs are more cumbersome

than those of land line telephones, which can operate using electricity already in the lines

to make calls even during periods of emergency or power outages. A powerful radio

transmitter, such as a regional broadcast station, requires large amounts of electricity at

all times to send out its signal.

2. Bandwidth:

Finally, radio communication relies on a very limited spectrum of bandwidth

frequencies. This is why commercial radio stations sometimes seem to overlap or blend

together, and why the Federal Communications Commission strictly regulates the use of

all publicly-owned airwaves. Radios require a relatively large amount of bandwidth

relative to the amount of date they transmit, leading to more and more air space being

allocated for cell phone networks and wireless Internet networks.

Due to above disadvantages of RF communication this is done by using a Zigbee

also the Zigbee will have the advantages over RF communication.



8. ZigBee Technology:

A comprehensive description of the ZigBee protocol can be found in the literatures.

We have presented only a partial description of the ZigBee protocol. The ZigBee

technology was introduced by the ZigBee Alliance. The ZigBee technology has evolved

based on a standardized set of solutions called ‘layers'. These optimally designed layers

have provided the ZigBee with unique features including low cost, easy implementation,

reliable, low power, and high security. The ZigBee was built on top of IEEE 802.15.4

standard. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard defines the characteristics of the physical and

Medium Access Control (MAC) layers for Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN).

Taking this standard as a “chassis” the ZigBee Alliance has defined the upper layers in

the ZigBee standard. Devices are the main components of the WPAN. The devices have

been categorically defined as (a) physical type, and (b) logical type. The physical type

devices have been further classified into two types namely Full Function Device (FFD)

and Reduced Function Device (RFD). Any device may act as a sensor node, control node,

and composite device irrespective of its type. Only the routing functions of a network are

performed by the FFDs. Depending on their locations in a network the FFDs may have

one or more child devices and they perform routing functions for these child devices. The

RFDs do not perform routing function in a network and hence they cannot have any child

device.

Fig8.1.ZigBee Protocol Stack



The logical type devices have been further classified as three types namely

coordinator, router, and end device. Among these logical devices the coordinator is the

most capable device, which forms the root of the network tree. There should be exactly

one ZigBee coordinator in a network to initiate the formation of a network tree. It also

acts as a bridge to other networks. The ZigBee end devices possess limited functionality

to communicate with a coordinator or a router only; it cannot relay data for other devices.

Due to this limited functionality the end devices can “sleep” for a significant amount of

the time and hence can enjoy a long operating life. The protocol stacks defined by the

ZigBee Alliance with respect to IEEE 802.15.5 standard protocol stacks are shown in

Figure 8.1.

Fig8.3.ZigBee Networks

The ZigBee architecture includes the Application Support (APS) sub-layer,

ZigBee Device Object (ZDO), and user-defined application profile(s). The APS sub-

layer's responsibilities include maintenance of some tables, which contain information

used to enable matching and establish communication among the devices. During the

discovery phase these tables are also used by a device to identify other devices that



operate in the operating space. The ZDO determines the nature of the device (i.e.,

coordinator or FFD or RFD) in a network. It also replies to binding requests while

ensuring a secured relationship between two devices. The user defined application refers

to the end device that conforms to the ZigBee Standard.

Fig8.2.ZigBee Network Topology

The network layer assists the network to grow. This layer can handle a network

consisting of up to 64000 nodes. The physical layer accommodates a high level of

integration by using direct sequence technique. The Medium Access Control (MAC)

layer permits to form several topologies without introducing complexity. The ZigBee

devices have 64-bit addresses, with an option to enable shorter addresses to reduce packet

size, and work in either of the two addressing modes namely star and peer-to-peer as

shown in Figure

Some of the other technological features of the ZigBee have been listed in Table8.1.



Table 8.1.Features of ZigBee Technology

Parameter Value Data Rate 250 kb/s, 40 kb/s, and 20 kb/s Topology Star or Peer-

to-Peer Addressing 16-bit (short) or 64-bit (extend) Multiple Access Technique Carrier

Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) Frequency 868 (Europe)

915 MHz (North America) 2.4 GHz (Worldwide) Range 10-20 meter Channels 11

channels (868/915 MHz0 16 channels (2.4 GHz) Two modes of communication are used

in a ZigBee network namely

(a) beacon mode, and

(b) non beacon mode.

Beacon Mode:

The beacon mode is used by a battery operated coordinator to save power. A

device waits for the beacons that are periodically transmitted by the coordinator and

looks for the messages addressed to it. If the message transmission is complete, the

coordinator sets a schedule for the next beacon for this device. After knowing the

schedule for the next schedule the device can go to sleep. On the other hand, the non-

beacon mode is used by a mains-powered coordinator. All devices in a mesh network

know the schedule to communicate with each other and they need to wake up at a

scheduled time so that they do not miss the beacon. Hence, a quite accurate timing circuit

needs to be associated with the devices. It means that there will be an increase in power

consumption.

Non Beacon Mode:



The non-beacon mode communication is suitable for applications such as smoke

detector and burglar alarm applications where devices ‘sleep' nearly almost all the time.

Till now ZigBee has found numerous applications. Some of these applications include

smart energy network, home entertainment and control, monitoring and controlling

industrial plant, health care, and home automation. In this work, we limit this effort only

to the home automation system application

9. Implementation of ZigBee:

. The existing energy meter reading technology uses manpower which has many

disadvantages like errors during calculation, absence of consumer during billing time and

extra expenses for the billing process. The wireless energy meter monitoring system aims

to minimize these difficulties by providing automatic energy monitoring through wireless

medium. The wireless technology is implemented by using a ZigBee transceiver

interfaced with both the EB (Electricity Board) section server as well as in the consumer

side. The IR sensor is fixed in the energy meter which senses the number of units

consumed and displays the units in the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). These units are

transmitted through ZigBee to the GUI (Graphical User Interface) in EB (Electricity

Board) section. The cost is calculated and displayed in the GUI (Graphical User

Interface) and also it is transmitted back to the consumer’s home using ZigBee which is

displayed in the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) present in consumer’s home. After a fixed

amount of time, the tariff for the consumed units during that fixed amount of time is

displayed in both LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and GUI (Graphical User Interface). If

the consumer does not pay the bill within the allotted period of time the power is cut

down using a relay, else the power supply is given without any interruption. Energy

meter the energy meter is an electrical measuring device, which is used to record

electrical energy consumed in terms of units.

1. IR sensor:

Infra Red (IR) sensor is an electronic sensor that measures Infra Red (IR)

radiating from objects in its field of view. It is connected inside the energy meter to sense

the rotations in the disk and count the number of units consumed.



2. Differential amplifier:

LM358 is the differential amplifier used in this project. The output of the sensor

is low. So in order to amplify the output, LM358 is used.

3. Micro controller:

PIC16F877A is the micro controller used in this project for monitoring the

energy meter readings.

4. Communication interface:

MAX232 is used as communication interface to send and receive signals given

by the micro controller. It converts the data into serial manner and sends to the ZigBee

transceiver.

5. ZigBee:

ZigBee is a wireless network for home and building automations. In this project

ZigBee is attached with both consumer side and EB (Electricity Board) side. The sensed

units in home side module are sent to the EB side through this ZigBee and at EB side the

tariff calculation is done and the amount to be paid is sent to the home side through this

ZigBee transceiver which is displayed in the LCD.

6. LCD:

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) are used to display numeric and alpha

numeric data. In this project a 16*2 LCD is used to display the number of units consumed

in the home side, their corresponding cost and also the amount to be paid.

7. Rela

A relay is an electrical switch that opens and closes under the control of

another electrical circuit. In this project a relay is used to trip the power supply in case the

bill is not paid in given time.



10.ConsumerModule:

Fig10.1.Block Diagram of Consumer Module

The consumer side is equipped with an energy meter, micro controller, LCD

display; indication unit (can be an indication lamp). The microcontroller continuously

monitors the energy meter reading and calculates the amount till last usage. These details

can be viewed in the LCD display and also it will be sent to the EB server during each

month through the Zigbee transmitter. The indication unit is provided for the attention of

the consumer in case of exceeding normal usage, delaying the payment and in case of any

tariff variation by the EB.

11. Electricity Board Module:

Fig11.1.Block Diagram of EB Module

The block diagram of the EB side module used in the system is represented in the



above figure. The detailed explanation of each of the block along with the components

used is explained in the following chapters. The P89V51RD2 is the basic component in

both the modules designed for the system of the automatic energy meter reading using

Zigbee wireless communication for the electricity board.

The Zigbee is attached with both the modules. The data from the Zigbee

transceiver in home module passes to the EB Office module through Zigbee network. In

the office side a similar module receives the data.

The consumer side module consists of a ZigBee transceiver interfaced with a

personal computer having Graphical User Interface (GUI). The ZigBee transceiver

receives the sensed units from consumer’s home and displays them on GUI. Tariff

calculation is done here and the amount to be paid for the consumed units is transmitted

to the consumer’s home through ZigBee transceiver.

12. Flow Chart:

Flow chart of wireless energy meter monitoring system with automatic

tariff calculation.

Fig12.1: Flow Chart Of Automatic Tariff Calculation With Wireless Energy Meter

13. ProtoType:



Fig13.1.ProtoType

13.1. Display On Meter:

Fig.13.2 Display of energy meter

14 Advantages & Disadvantages

14.1 Advantages



Advanced metering systems can provide benefits for utilities, retail providers and

customers. Benefits will be recognized by the utilities with increased efficiencies, outage

detection, tamper notification and reduced labor cost as a result of automating reads,

connections and disconnects. Retail providers will be able to offer new innovative

products in addition to customizing packages for their customers.

In addition, with the meter data being readily available, more flexible billing

cycles would be available to their customers instead of following the standard utility read

cycles. With timely usage information available to the customer, benefits will be seen

through opportunities to manage their energy consumption and change from one REP to

another with actual meter data. Because of these benefits, many utilities are moving

towards implementing some types of AMR solutions. In many cases, Smart Metering is

required by law, with Pennsylvania's Act 129 (2008) an example.

The benefits of smart metering for the utility

Accurate meter reading, no more estimates Improved billing

Accurate profile classes and measurement classes, true costs applied

Improved security and tamper detection for equipment

Energy management through profile data graphs

Less financial burden correcting mistakes

Less accrued expenditure

Transparency of “cost to read” metering

Improved procurement power though more accurate data - “de-risking” price

In cases of shortages, utility will be able to manage/allocate supply.

The benefits of smart metering for the customer.

Improved billing and tracking of usage.

14.2Disadvantages

Utility can control amount allocated to users.

Utility can remotely shut off users.

Loss of privacy - details of use reveal information about user activities



Greater potential for monitoring by other/unauthorized third parties

Reduced reliability (more complicated meters, more potential for interference by third

parties)

Increased security risks from network or remote access

CONCLUSION

Current human advancement would be pushed to the brink of collapse, if an

emergency of power shortage ever lingers. The cusp of society would crumple.

Accordingly, the unquestionable requirement for uninterruptible power is the prelude to

improvement of any country on the planet today. Step by step, the power buyer gathering

is extending as more individuals are accessing power. In lieu to this rising interest, there

additionally emerges the dire requirement for an exceedingly effective observing

framework that can consider the changing utilizations of the buyer people. This

anticipates has hence given a basic, exact and valuable arrangement as the remote

advanced vitality meter.

The venture might be further stretched out by including an extra component of

installment of the power bill from home itself utilizing some prepaid keeping money

cards or such systems. By expanding the scope of ZigBee Tran recipients we can build

the quantity of zones under one control room. With wide range accomplishment of this

anticipate soon, we may change from ZigBee to Internet administration for remote

correspondence since it is costlier than Zigbee.



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