A Smarter Meter: IEEE-1459 power definitions in an off-the-shelf Smart Meter

With respect to harmonics, revenue meters have suffered from inconsistent power definitions and ambiguous metering Specifications for decades. Modern digital metering technology and new power definitions can correct these issues. The IEEE-1459 Standard provides consistent and unambiguous power definitions ideal for revenue metering purposes. Its primary innovation is the separation of the fundamental frequency power components P₁ and Q₁ from the apparent power S. This paper will demonstrate that these definitions can easily be implemented in an off-the-shelf Smart Meter at no additional hardware cost, by modifying the firmware in the metering chip. Harmonic distortion tests proposed by the OIML were applied to the reprogrammed meter, and results evaluated with a commercial meter test set. The paper concludes that modern digital meter technology can implement the IEEE-1459 power definitions and existing Reference Standards can be used to test and calibrate these Smarter Meters.