Dutch scientists: smart meters can overestimate the indicators 6 times Bashny.Net

Smart electronics is becoming more common. Sensors of different types are installed in homes, offices and businesses. Getting smarter and counters, taking into account the energy consumption.

It would seem, time monitoring of electricity consumption is a modern device, so its performance should be much more accurate than those performed by the meters of old images. In fact, no scientists from the Netherlands have proven that some of the models of new systems of this type can overestimate the indicators at 582%. In the end, the person who is not aware of the fact that the counter can "lie", received an inflated electricity bill, pay in silence, wondering where she could have gone a whole lot of energy.

The work was carried out by the Amsterdam University of applied Sciences and University of Twente. In their study, the specialists observed the work of several models of electric meters — smart and ordinary. Using a standard test stand, the scientists connected the counters to the different electricity consuming devices that can be found in any house or apartment: appliances, incandescent lamps, LED lamps, heaters. The indicators are compared to the monitoring device, which was obviously correct.



The experiment lasted six months. Individual check meters occupied from a week to several weeks. The researchers initially decided to emulate the energy consumption of an ordinary household, so that the counters are not exposed to any extreme of factors, including the temperature or volume of consumed connected home appliance energy. Since the project was implemented in the Netherlands, scientists in the study of the counters is used the most popular in the country models of these devices. Analyzed mainly system, released from 2004 to 2014.

The result was unusual: the various models showed the error in the measurements in the range from -32% to +528% (for different models is -31%, -32%, +475%, +566%, +569%, +581%, +582%). That is, the error in favor of the energy company could make not one, but hundreds of percent.

Scientists undertook analysis of the counters is not about pleasure: to conduct research, they decided after learned about the numerous complaints on local forums about large electricity bills. Experts began to verify these complaints, having experienced nine models most common in the Netherlands devices. Five of them showed a significant overstatement in the measurement of energy consumed, and two underestimated the real figures.

Upon completion of the measurements, the tested devices were dismantled in order to understand the reason for the high errors in the measurements. As it turned out, counters that inflated the figures for energy consumption were created based on the "Rogowski loop". So called the current transformer, made in the form of a long closed solenoid with arbitrary and virtually closed-form and uniform winding, one of the findings which is given to another through the axis of the solenoid. Device, lowered indicators, one based on the Hall effect (a phenomenon of occurrence of a transverse potential difference (called the hall voltage) by placing a conductor with a constant current in a magnetic field).

Dutch scientists believe that the problem could be the design of some smart electricity meters and home appliances with energy-saving functions. A technique of this kind, say the researchers, generates disturbances in the power grid that prevents the normal counters to measure energy consumption. Unfortunately, the model has been tested with systems experts did not disclose.

The problem with incorrect working counter can be very relevant for the countries of the European Union. The fact that in most European countries has long been replaced Electromechanical meters for smart. In the same Netherlands such devices hundreds of thousands. According to researchers, to date, incorrect working of the electric meters in this small country of 750,000. In the world they could be much more — in the millions.

In the US the problem with smart meters is also known, here the consumers regularly organize meetings devoted to the issue of the need to prohibit such devices. In 2011, the U.S. court filed a lawsuit the family that drew attention to the large electricity bills that came to them in a few months. As it turned out, these accounts are inflated at least $500 per month. The judge accepted the claim and ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, by agreeing to pay them $1400. The problem was in the smart meter. But in addition to the payment, nothing more was done — smart meters as he worked on homes, apartments and offices, and continue to work.



The test stand specialists from the Netherlands

The problem, according to some users, smart meters, is the openness of these devices to the outside world. For example, the company which placed them, may, without the consent of the user to carry out the reconfiguration of the system. In the end, the counter will monitor and analyze energy consumption for a different scheme. This can lead to a significant increase in bills for consumed electricity.

In different countries, activists are now fighting for the abolition of the installation of smart meters and the replacement of already installed on a conventional disk device. Such gadgets will not be able to remotely hack the attackers, will not change suddenly, the readings and the energy company, whose management decided to make more money in a certain month or year. Yet the companies that supply electricity to households and businesses resist, but it may well be that indignant users have their way and to regain the usual counters without unnecessary features. published

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: geektimes.ru/post/286834/