The Future Of Your Electricity Is Getting Smarter

We’re all used to the benefits of constant connectivity in our modern world. From GPS guided maps on our mobile phones to wearable fitness devices that analyse and track our exercise, we’re all a little smarter thanks to technology. But what if we could be a little bit smarter with our electricity consumption too? Thanks to a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB)’s smart meter project, that smarter future is closer than you might think.

customers are able to monitor and track their consumption patterns on a daily basis

TNB’s venture aims to empower electricity consumers in Malaysia by utilising innovative ‘smart meter’ technology. With this innovation, customers are able to monitor and track their consumption patterns on a daily basis, helping them make more informed choices on their electricity usage. Not only does this technology help curb electricity wastage, it also provides customers with a value-added service without extra costs imposed.

Successful trials of this technology with 1,000 consumers sees this partnership soon moving to a new phase, with the roll out of ‘Advanced Metering Infrastructure’ (AMI) facilities to 340,000 consumers in Melaka from early 2018. This move is ultimately going on to empower electricity consumption in throughout Peninsular Malaysia by 2022.

What is a ‘smart meter’?

A smart meter is an integrated, connected device which allows electricity consumption to be monitored by consumers. Once these electrically-powered devices are fitted in a home, they are connected via the internet to an online portal managed by TNB, allowing customers to log on and view their electricity consumption in easily-referenced 30 minute chunks. Smart meters take complex consumption data, and deliver a readily-accessed, simplified solution.

What this means for the future is that you will be even more in control of your electricity consumption, and ultimately your energy bills. Worried about how much your air-con is costing in the summer? Easily referencing changes in your consumption will put the costs at your fingertips. Need to work out just how much you spend with your devices on standby? Quickly assess your electricity consumption over different parts of the day to help you understand. The smart meter is about providing you with the tools to make informed choices about your own electricity use.

What this means for the future is that you will be even more in control of your electricity consumption

This smart meter technology is just one example of the hugely exciting and much discussed Internet of Things (IoT), where integrating smart devices into shared connected networks allows the recording, analysis and understanding of data, opening up huge benefits in efficiency and connected capabilities across a wide range of industries. The number of smart meters alone is expected to reach 780 million globally by 2020. But is it all really that useful for you?

Why do smart meters matter?

Malaysia is a country fast on the road to developed nation status. Inevitably growth in electricity demand goes hand in hand with that growth in our economy. According to the World Bank, Malaysia’s electricity consumption per capita today sits at 4,596 kilowatt hours, that’s more than double what it was a decade ago.

This growing thirst for electricity comes accompanied by our increasing realisation of the impact of climate change, and our own individual responsibility to help tackle that. 20% of electricity consumption in Malaysia today is for residential consumers. Smart meters enable us to measure and understand the individual impact of our consumption choices. In doing so they not only help us save money on our electricity bills, they help us aggregate energy savings across millions of individuals, significantly reducing the strain on our planet.

Through this technology, the reality of living in smart cities is closer than we think. It will catalyse the future of smart economies, truly bringing about our digital revolution. Here in ASEAN, regional neighbours Malaysia and Singapore are at the forefront of pioneering this exciting new technology.

But this technology is not limited by borders. In delivering the benefits of efficient smart meter capabilities to Malaysia, TNB not only hopes to bring savings to the country, but provide the regional expertise to grow this opportunity throughout the region. In ASEAN alone that means the potential to improve the energy efficiency of over 625 million people.

So what are smart meters really about? They’re about empowering people like us to make better decisions on our energy consumption. With real-time data available at our fingertips, we’ll enjoy long-term cost savings whilst reducing our carbon footprint.