Installation Requirements
Prepaid electricity meters should be installed on a dry, well-ventilated wall or switchboard that is not susceptible to vibration. The installation position must be vertical, with a permissible deviation of no more than 2°. The mounting height from the ground should be between 1.7 meters and 2 meters (approximately 1.8 meters is generally recommended). The installation environment must be clean, dry, and free from strong magnetic fields. In locations prone to mechanical damage, contamination, or accidental contact, the meter should be enclosed within a protective housing.
Technical Parameters
The technical parameters of a prepaid electricity meter typically include: Rated Voltage (e.g., single-phase 220V; three-phase 3*220V/380V); Rated Current (common specifications include 5(20)A, 10(40)A, 15(60)A, etc.); Accuracy Class (active energy accuracy can reach Class 0.5s); Power Consumption (static power consumption is typically less than 0.5W); Operating Temperature Range (e.g., normal operating range of -20°C to 50°C; extreme limits of -35°C to 75°C); Relative Humidity requirements (typically expressed as a percentage); and Pulse Constant, among others.
Functional Specifications
The functional specifications of modern prepaid electricity meters primarily encompass prepaid control, multi-tariff functionality, malicious load identification and control, data storage, communication and remote control capabilities, and security mechanisms. Prepaid control supports a "purchase-before-use" model; it allows for the configuration of a base credit amount and an overdraft limit, and features multi-level alarms-such as low balance warnings, pre-trip alerts, and overdue payment notifications-along with an automatic power-cutoff function. The multi-tariff function supports the flexible configuration of multiple time periods and rates (e.g., peak, shoulder, off-peak, and valley rates) to enable Time-of-Use (TOU) billing. Malicious load identification and control features prevent the connection of unauthorized high-power loads to a circuit branch, automatically tripping the circuit upon detection. Regarding data storage, the meters possess the capability to store minute-level or historical frozen data, as well as records of credit top-ups. Communication and remote control capabilities support various protocols-including RS-485, 4G, NB-IoT, and Power Line Carrier (PLC)-enabling remote meter reading, remote credit top-ups, remote power switching (on/off), and status monitoring. Security mechanisms employ technologies such as CPU cards, the 3DES encryption algorithm, and ESAM security modules to ensure the integrity and security of data transmission and storage.