What is a smart meter and why is it required?

A smart meter is a digital electricity meter that is connected to the internet. It records energy consumption every quarter of an hour and automatically sends the data to your electricity supplier on a daily basis.

In contrast to conventional meters without an internet connection, which have to be read manually, smart meters provide a detailed breakdown of electricity consumption. In addition, data is transmitted to the electricity supplier continuously instead of just once a year, for example.

A smart meter is essential for the Dynamic Assistant, which optimizes electricity consumption from the grid based on fluctuating electricity prices. The reason for this is that you generally cannot use a dynamic electricity tariff without a smart meter. Without the automatic transmission of consumption data every 15 minutes, it would not be possible for the electricity provider to create a correct bill.

An exception may exist under certain circumstances and depending on the provider: Even without a smart meter, a dynamic tariff is sometimes possible. This works if your electricity provider reads and forwards the data from the infrared interface of your digital meter (without its own internet connection) via an additional device (with an internet connection).

You can only benefit from this optimization by Dynamic Assistant with a dynamic or time-variable tariff. Price fluctuations are used by flexibly adapting the electricity consumption of your energy system and the connected devices to favorable time windows.