Smart metres, the solution for lower electricity costs
Smart metres can be the solution to better control energy consumption. That's according to a company in our country that makes these devices. However, they point out that demand is not high on the domestic market due to lack of interest. But the authorities assure that in the next few years most citizens will have these devices for efficient electricity consumption.
In the case of traditional control, data is collected by the responsible persons. Moreover, thanks to these devices, consumption is lower. Before they are installed, they undergo a series of checks.
"We repair the circuit board. Because of the temperature, which is in the furnace, some details can go out of order, and we install them back." "We prepare the glass for the counter that goes on the conveyor and put the elastic around it. It's not that hard." "This is where we make the base for the three-phase metre. It's hard work because we have to stand all day," say the specialists.
Smart electricity metres are set up in the lab. Here they are checked, calibrated, the software is installed and the final configurations are made. Single-phase metres take 40 minutes, and three-phase metres one hour and 20 minutes.
"Smart metres allow us to limit electricity consumption, and that's because it has a certain consumption threshold. All the magnetic sensors allow us to alert the energy distributor when someone tries to steal electricity. In some countries, the percentage is quite high, in our country the loss coefficient is 8%, and it can reach 3 or 4% if we use smart metres," said Ruslan Casico, commercial director.
So far more than 1,000 Moldovans have such metres installed.
"Smart metres are about digitising energy, that's what we are aiming for now, because we are moving step by step towards decarbonisation and smart metering. It's a small step towards that. A consumer who knows how to manage such a metre, who works on a differentiated tariff, receives a lower bill at the end of the month," said Cristina Pereteatcu, Secretary of State.
On 13 June, the Ministry of Energy launched the pilot programme, which involves installing 35,000 smart electricity metres in public institutions across the country and in households.
