Domestic Electricity Consumption Monitor
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Reducing energy consumption is high
on many people's priorities these days - whether purely for financial
reasons, or also out of concern for the environment. But, in order
to reduce your consumption, you need to be aware of what you are
actually consuming! The electricity supply meter is usually of little
help in this respect, as it is usually hidden away and inconvenient
(for the consumer) to read.
The object of this project was to
allow the consumer, in real time, to see their electricity consumption
and how it is affected by their use of their appliances around the
home.
Uniquely, this device also provides
communication with the electricity supplier to allow them to understand
the usage patters of their customers.
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Antronics Ltd assisted in devising the GPRS communication
protocol to be used between the unit and the electricity supplier's back-office
system, and provided a PC-based simulator (using
a Fastrack
modem) as a "proof of concept".
Antronics Ltd implemented an Open-AT
application in the unit's WMP100 "Wireless
Microprocessor" to manage all GSM activity, including the communication
protocol, over-the-air firmware updates, and facilities to support manufacturing
test & configuration.
Antronics Ltd also provided
a bootloader for the unit's STM32
microcontroller to facilitate the firmware updates,
and assisted in devising the internal communication
protocol between the STM32 and WMP100.
The unit has undergone successful consumer trials,
and the Client is now looking for opportunities to exploit the technology and
bring the unit to market. Any interested parties please contact
us in the first instance, and we will pass on your enquiry.
A
typical domestic electricity meter
(this
image
is for illustration only and is in no way connected with this project)
