Development of an Internet based prepaid energy meter

Energy fuels the growth and development of any country, and as such effective monitoring, measurement, billing and access control is imperative. This paper presents a device that uses the evolving Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the design and implementation of an Internet based prepaid energy meter often referred to as smart meters. The energy measurement and billing system is automated. The system employs the ATMega328p and ESP8266 to operate a dual core microprocessor unit with one core dedicated to energy sensing and measurements, while the other handles the network connectivity, storage, computations and overall system performance. This work uses the HTML5 technology to develop a highly interactive mobile and web frontend Graphic User Interface (GUI) application that allows for consumers to have access to monitor and control their consumption pattern while the utility companies can monitor and control customers and their billing systems.