Why Smart Meters Need to be More Like Smart Phones

Twenty years ago, a phone was just a phone, and you’d have to look elsewhere for maps, music and more. Today, thanks to the influence of consumer-facing companies like Apple and Google, smartphones have created an entirely new market for mobile applications for consumers. The same thing could—and should—happen with smart meters.

Smart meters measure how much electricity and other types of energy buildings use primarily for billing purposes and to help utilities run the power grid.

Introduced in 2006, smart meters were initially envisioned as a way to help customers better manage energy use. But they operate largely on data in the past (typically 15-minute averages delayed by hours or days), which make them incompatible with our always-connected, always-updated world.

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