This research aims to address the drawbacks of conventional energy billing systems by introducing an affordable Prepaid Energy Meter that uses an ATmega328 microprocessor. The discreteness, inaccuracy, high cost, and sluggish processing of the current systems result in inefficiencies in both labor and time. The susceptibility of traditional invoicing techniques to energy and power theft is a serious problem. By operating under the tenet of "Pay first and then use it," the proposed prepaid energy meter reduces the possibility of theft. Furthermore, it completely eliminates the necessity for manual readings by drastically reducing the human error rate connected with them. Prepaid energy meters come with a GSM module that can be used to recharge them in different denominations (like Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 200, etc.). Based on power consumption, the system dynamically modifies the remaining electrical units. An LDR (light dependent resistor) sensor and DHT11 are integrated to prioritize load management while accounting for environmental variables. The remaining electrical units are shown on the LCD. When the recharge amount is exhausted, a relay mechanism is put in place to cut off the energy meter and related load from the mains supply, prohibiting illegal consumption. To improve the physical security of the metering system, an infrared sensor is used.

Keywords:Meter security, Internet of Things(IoT), smart grids, energy efficiency, microcontroller.

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This research aims to address the drawbacks of conventional energy billing systems by introducing an affordable Prepaid Energy Meter that uses an ATmega328 microprocessor. The discreteness, inaccuracy, high cost, and sluggish processing of the current systems result in inefficiencies in both labor and time. The susceptibility of traditional invoicing techniques to energy and power theft is a serious problem. By operating under the tenet of "Pay first and then use it," the proposed prepaid energy meter reduces the possibility of theft. Furthermore, it completely eliminates the necessity for manual readings by drastically reducing the human error rate connected with them. Prepaid energy meters come with a GSM module that can be used to recharge them in different denominations (like Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 200, etc.). Based on power consumption, the system dynamically modifies the remaining electrical units. An LDR (light dependent resistor) sensor and DHT11 are integrated to prioritize load management while accounting for environmental variables. The remaining electrical units are shown on the LCD. When the recharge amount is exhausted, a relay mechanism is put in place to cut off the energy meter and related load from the mains supply, prohibiting illegal consumption. To improve the physical security of the metering system, an infrared sensor is used.

Keywords:Meter security, Internet of Things(IoT), smart grids, energy efficiency, microcontroller.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.