What is a Smart Meter?

Geoff Godwin
by |
home automation

One aspect of a home or business’ heating and cooling system that is often overlooked is the electrical usage monitoring system, most commonly seen through meters installed outside a home or facility.  Smart meters have increased in popularity over the last few years as a way to help control energy usage, provide valuable feedback for end users and utility companies, and ultimately encourage people to take a more vested interest in the efficient operation of their HVAC systems.  Emerson Climate Technologies is proud to sponsor an editorial series with TriplePundit.com to explore a variety of HVAC-related issues and this article titled “What is a Smart Meter?” provides an overview of why homeowners and businesses should care about keeping an eye on their energy usage through smarter devices.

http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/what-is-a-smart-meter/

 

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6 thoughts on “What is a Smart Meter?”

  1. Hi Andy, you are right, this is not normal. Since the room thermostat typically controls the compressor contactor directly, there is a good chance the problem is with one of these devices. I would recommend contacting a qualified HVAC Service Tech. Allowing the Outdoor unit (compressor) to short cycle like this, will greatly reduce the unit’s reliability and overall system’s life.

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  2. My exterior A/C compressor turns on and off intermitently. It occurs when the temperature readout is the same as what it is set at. Once the room temperature goes above the setting the exterior fan turns on a functions properly.

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  3. The lines themselves don’t usually leak unless they are bent, crimped or rubbing against something. Leaks usually occur in the joints where the lines are blazed into the other components. I would first check if it is covered under your warranty but generally if the contractor can locate and fix the leak it should last a long time – the useful life of your system. If it is a newer system I’d fix the leak but watch it closely to make sure it continues to cool. If it is not cooling well the leak may not be fixed or there might be more than one leak. Running a system without the minimum amount of refrigerant can cause other expensive problems. Hope this helps.

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  4. Sometimes AC system leaks are difficult to fix – depending on where they are, etc., but if it is a slow leak it might cool for a long time before it needs to be fixed again. So, even if the leak is not completely fixed, she might get through the summer without replacing it. However, if the system is over ten years old and has a lot of run hours (e.g. in the south) she might be better off just replacing it if, and when it is not cooling properly again. In any case, continued re-charging with replacement refrigerant will eventually get expensive and it is also not good for the environment to leak the old refrigerant to the atmosphere. There are some other articles on this site that might provide more information. Here is one – http://www.ac-heatingconnect.com/repair-or-replace-what-should-i-do-with-my-old-air-conditioner/ , but there are others too. you can use the search tool to do further research. Good luck!

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    • I too have a slow leak in my new system that is occuring somewhere in the lines that we can’t find. My repair men suggested putting a patch in as well instead of running new lines. How long do they typically last? Would I be better off just runnng new lines?

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  5. My daughter had a tram Furnace and Air condition unit installed two years ago. Her ac was not cold last summer. The installer came back and said the unit was very low of coolent. He put a sealent in the system and put new coolent in the system. My daughters concern is. Is the unit fixed or will this problem reaccure down the road? (This is a forced air system)

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