By: Engr. Josielyn Briones
Introduction
The discovery of wireless communication of cellular phones today has always been a great reward in this century for the ingenuity of human’s continuous exploration for easy living.
The cellular phones and telecommunication and network providers offer us faster and efficient ways to save our time and human energy in dealing with our monthly routine such as bank-to-bank payments for electric bill, water bill, cash deposit, etc., and amazingly, everything has been done through text messaging alone.
Even the metering of households and company’s electric consumption has been patterned to the ballooning figures in communication via open atmosphere.
The combination of electric and electronic features of prepaid kilowatt-hour meter has been considered one of the breakthroughs in rendering service of electric company.
The prepaid technology helped a lot of companies to cut their budget in production, and this technology secures irresponsible tenants for commercial and leasing establishments from escaping for their own power supply.
The fast revolution of wireless technology brought advent for everything prepaid, from cellphone loads to every device or transaction that can be digitalized or electronically manufactured.
Background of the Study
Prepaid Kilowatt-hour Meter features remote re/connection of power supply through GSM module, and Microcontrollers Unit (MCU), reducing the monotonous and labor-intensive meter reading. Its theoretical backbone was patterned from prepaid technology. Thus, owners can determine expenses, and poses good measure for energy conservation.
It will be processed in MCU triggering the contactor that re/connects the supply from mains to meters. This study foresees practicality in the future for commercial applications.
Objectives
General Objective
The general objective of the study is to produce simple prototype design of a prepaid kilowatt-hour meter as well as to apply the theories of engineering in designing this project.
Specific Objectives
1.To determine if the study is viable for commercial and large-scale application.
2.To determine the advantages and disadvantages of using such a device.
3. To enumerate the unique functions and uses of this prototype.
Significance of the Study
This research may provide an alternative solution to the problem of monotonous and labor-intensive meter reading of electric company personnel; and tedious payment of bill, to the part of consumers. It may also be recommended to commercial and leasing establishments where tenants are held accountable for their own electric bill.
Scope and Limitations
The main feature of the designed prototype is to electrically load the watt-hour meter and automatically trip the electrical supply of the power provider to the consumer’s line if the prepaid load is already consumed. It is limited to single-phase supply, so as its watt-hour meter. The GSM module is signal-dependent from its network provider.
Resource Requirement
Books