Smart Meter

A smart meter is an energy meter (usually an electricity meter) that is able to provide detailed and often real time readings, of electricity consumption in a building, business or home.

The smart meter is also communicative and transmits the information collected using different channels (power line, Internet, telephone).

Monitoring electricity consumption in real time

Smart meters should provide information that can be used to better understand electricity consumption and therefore save money. Real-time monitoring also opens the door to real-time energy billing, as well as differentiated billing based on electricity demand (consumption peaks).

Smart meters are therefore one of the tools used to transform electricity distribution networks into smart grids.

Smart meter: the data issue

Nevertheless, questions arise regarding the confidentiality of the data sent by these communicative meters, since this information indicates what is going on in every room of a home, hour by hour.