Practical Engineering: Standards for Electricity Meters and Other Similar Devices - In Compliance Magazine

Electricity meters and other similar devices have their own set of unique standards and requirements. The following describes these requirements, the challenges involved, and the status of some requirements.

Electricity meters are sometimes called Alternating Current [AC]A signal or power source that varies with time, switching polarities." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/alternating-current/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">AC watthour meters, demand meters, power metering and monitoring devices (PMD), power quality meters, and power quality analyzers, to name a few.

There are both national (American National Standards Institute [ANSI]A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/american-national-standards-institute/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">ANSI) and international (International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC) standards that cover the various meter names/types. The table below is only a partial list of meter requirements.

For meters going to Mexico, Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) standard G0000-48-2010 is required for stand-alone meters. G0000-48-2010 derives its requirements from the International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC meter standards. In 2025, an entirely new standard for meters sold into Mexico will take effect. This standard is NOM-001-CRE and brings with it an entirely new set of requirements for meters and requires meters to have the capability for easy replacement via some type of extractable case.

Meters sold into Australia and New Zealand require certification by the Australian National Measurement Institute in accordance with NMI M6-1, which follows the Australian versions of the LEC meter standards.

IEC 61000-4-30IEC 61000-4-30:2008 defines the methods for measurement and interpretation of results for power quality parameters in 50/60 Hz a.c. power supply systems. Measurement methods are described for each relevant parameter in terms that give reliable and repeatable results, regardless of the method's implementation. This standard addresses measurement methods for in situ measurements. Measurement of parameters covered by this standard is limited to voltage phenomena that can be conducted in a power system. The power quality parameters considered in this standard are power frequency, magnitude of the supply voltage, flicker, supply voltage dips and swells, voltage interruptions, transient voltages, supply voltage unbalance, voltage harmonics and interharmonics, mains signalling on the supply voltage and rapid voltage changes." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/iec-61000-4-30/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61000-4-30, Power Quality Measurement Methods specifies two different classes of meters, Class AAmplifier where the output transistors conduct (i.e. do not fully turn off) irrespective of the output signal waveform. This type of amplifier is typically associated with high linearity but low efficiency." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/class-a/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">Class A and Class S. Class AAmplifier where the output transistors conduct (i.e. do not fully turn off) irrespective of the output signal waveform. This type of amplifier is typically associated with high linearity but low efficiency." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/class-a/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">Class A and Class S are determined by performing International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 62586-2:2017, Power quality measurement in power supply systems – Part 2: Functional tests and uncertainty requirements on the meter. Class AAmplifier where the output transistors conduct (i.e. do not fully turn off) irrespective of the output signal waveform. This type of amplifier is typically associated with high linearity but low efficiency." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/class-a/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">Class A pertains to highly accurate meters, whereas Class S is not as rigorous and is applied to less accurate meters.

International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61557-12, Performance measuring and monitoring devices (PMD) requires testing to International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61326-1 for Electromagnetic Compatibility [EMC]The branch of electrical sciences which studies the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy with reference to the unwanted effects (electromagnetic interference, or EMI) that such energy may induce." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/electromagnetic-compatibility/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">EMC and International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61010-1, International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC]A non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology and marine energy as well as many others. The IEC also manages three global conformity assessment systems that certify whether equipment, system or components conform to its International Standards." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/international-electrotechnical-commission/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61010-2-030, and IEC 61010-2-201Specifies the complete safety requirements for control equipment (e.g. programmable controller (PLC)), the components of Distributed Control Systems, I/O devices, Human Machine Interface (HMI))." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/iec-61010-2-201/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">IEC 61010-2-201 for product safety.

American National Standards Institute [ANSI]A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/american-national-standards-institute/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">ANSI standards are applied to devices sold into the United States, Canada, and some Latin American countries. Entities such as the New York State Department of Public Service Commission require all meters used at their facilities to comply with American National Standards Institute [ANSI]A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/american-national-standards-institute/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">ANSI standards.

Many of the American National Standards Institute [ANSI]A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/american-national-standards-institute/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">ANSI meters standards are currently under revision, new standards are in progress, and a few are slated for replacement by newer versions.

The following chart indicates the latest timeline for the release of new American National Standards Institute [ANSI]A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States." href="https://incompliancemag.com/terms/american-national-standards-institute/" data-mobile-support="0" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" tabindex="0" role="link">ANSI meter standards.

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