If you are reaping the benefits of using a pre-paid cellular line, don’t you want to enjoy the same thing with your electric consumption? Like budgeting the amount you want to spend for electricity in a month without going overboard? Reloading your electricity is quick and easy through SMS just like how you would do it with a pre-paid phone.
Don’t you just wish that you could control all your electrical appliances in one device using a phone or even a tablet with just one push of a button even when you are out of your house? Remotely controlling everything from the lock of your main door, switching off your lights or even closing your curtains. Isn’t that a stress-free living?
Smart Meter
Fret no more as Meralco is working to empower Filipinos to achieve a world-class standard of living through Meralco- Powered Innovations. I saw it with my own eyes when I attended Meralco’s Exhibit Walk-Through last June 1, 2011. Different vendors like Nokia-Siemens Network, Orga System, Landis +Gyr, Cisco and GE set up a series of presentation generally targeting a brighter tomorrow for the Filipino people.
We started off our walk-through with the introduction of Smart Grid. What is a Smart Grid? With this latest innovation, Meralco can control distribution systems from remote locations. It can also perform supervisory control of equipment and monitor operations and the overall health of the electric grid in real time.
Smart Grid
How will Smart Grid benefit you?
It minimizes the impact of power outage on affected circuits only. This system brings about the introduction of a Smart Meter. It is the analogy of the three components in the high voltage- sensors (switch), remote terminal (computer) and graphical user interface (visual display).
Having a Smart Grid, Meralco can act faster in the restoration of power outages in areas that were experiencing the problem.
sample text message that you will receive on your cell phone
procedure of reloading electricity
What Smart Meter can do for you? People in other countries have been benefitting from pre–paid electricity. It’s about time our people can enjoy a worry-free and convenient option of pre-paid electricity through Smart Meter. All you need is a cellular phone to load credit to your Meralco account. Without human intervention, electricity will be available for use in an instant once you have received a text message confirming the load to your account. You can now totally budget your electric consumption.
In Home Display
One of the vendors presented In Home Display- a warning device that can be programmed to let you know if you are overloading your normal electric consumption. It is color-coded. Green means you have not reached the maximum load. Red means that you have to lessen the load of your electric consumption.
The power of running your electric consumption is now in your own hand. You can see the kilowatt/hour data on display and current cost per kilowatt/hour of the energy used in real time.
Smart Home
For a more sophisticated client, another vendor introduced The Smart Home. Everything is automated and electric meter reading will be updated every 15 minutes. Consumers can actually see and budget what they use in real time by checking online or through SMS. You don’t have to wait for your monthly bill at the end of the month to know how much electricity you have consumed and charged to your account. And not only that, aside from the real time consumption rate, it can also forecast electricity consumption rate base on your previous usage so that at the end of the day you will know if you have been saving energy or using more.
Nucleus
Another technology introduced is called Nucleus- the center of home energy management system. It is a gateway between energy data from your smart meter and all the data of your appliances in your home. The nucleus will work well with a device called “smart plug” that can turn your home into energy efficiency mode.
Automated Home Area Network
video showing how to remotely control an appliance through a tablet
Forgot to switch off the lights? With the last innovation presented, Automated Home Area Network, you can now experience a worry- free living. This means that any appliances in your house that is connected to electricity can be remotely controlled through your phone or tablet as long as you have internet connection. Now, you do not have to go back home to check whether you have locked the door or switched off an appliance. Everything is at your fingertips.
Meralco Apps
Before we reached the end of the walk-through, Meralco Apps was reintroduced.
What is in Meralco Apps:
- Calculate which appliances contribute most to your electric bill
- Find out if there is a maintenance schedule in your area
- Locate the nearest Meralco Business Center
- Know your Meralco bill details
- Learn useful energy effiency tips
Amazing isn’t it? It is good to know that Meralco is finding ways to become at par with progressive countries. It is advancing its technology with latest gadgets and energy solutions. I can say that with the different innovations presented, there is a bright future ahead of us! I can’t wait for all these innovations to be implemented.
