More than 300 households in northern Taiwan’s Taipei City and Hsinchu Science Park will soon be able to check their electricity usage online in real time through the nation’s first low-voltage smart meter system, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs Dec. 13.
The trial initiative comes under a larger government program earmarking NT$30 billion (US$980.39 million) to replace traditional meters with smart meters in 12 million of the nation’s households, an unnamed MOEA official said.
According to the MOEA, the major benefit of smart meters is that they enable meter readings to be taken any time by a two-way cable or wireless communication network.
“The devices should help users reduce electricity consumption through better understanding and management of their energy use,” the official noted.
Though the system is still being tested for accuracy, the meters should be up and running in one or two months, he said.
The plan is a collaborative effort of the MOEA, Institute for Information Industry and Industrial Technology Research Institute.
