Real-time smart meter with embedded web server capability

Article 13 of Directive 2006/32/EC on energy end-use efficiency and energy services concerns attaining an overall indicative energy savings target states the need to provide final consumers with utility meters that accurately reflect the final customer's energy consumption and that provide information on actual time intensity of use. With this aim a low cost ARM-based Smart Metering network architecture is presented. The network is composed by several slave smart meters that continuously monitor loads to which it is connected, acquiring, voltage and current conveniently conditioned, to make available in real-time information such as power, energy consumption and several power quality parameters to a specific master controller (data aggregator) via CAN bus. In this way, the data aggregator is able by means of suited management software to command the detachment of a single load or to decide its time of use. Moreover in the data aggregator a web server was implemented. So the users can both remotely control their consumption using a web browser (Client) and locally through the display of each smart meter. In this way the consumers will then be encouraged to a rational and sustainable use of energy.