Embedded Project

Smart Energy Meter

An embedded energy monitor that measures household consumption in real time, itemises appliance usage and warns before the bill escalates.

Intermediate6–8 weeksCSE · ITEmbedded SystemsInternet of Things

Project overview

A current and voltage sensing front end measures real power draw, the controller integrates it into energy consumed, and the device displays live load alongside cost estimated from the local tariff slab. Data is uploaded for historical analysis.

It is a clean embedded project: ADC sampling, calibration, unit conversion and non-volatile storage are all central, and the output is a number the user can verify against their own electricity bill.

Problem statement

A monthly electricity bill arrives after the consumption has happened, with no breakdown. Households cannot tell which appliance is responsible for a spike or whether they are about to cross into a costlier tariff slab.

Proposed solution

Sample current and voltage at a rate high enough to compute real power including power factor, accumulate energy in non-volatile memory so a power cut does not reset the count, and map cumulative units to the applicable tariff slab to project the month-end bill.

Key features

  • True power measurement including power factor, not just current
  • Cumulative energy stored in EEPROM to survive power loss
  • Tariff slab mapping with month-end bill projection
  • Local LCD or OLED display of live load and cost
  • Threshold alert when projected consumption exceeds a budget
  • Cloud upload for historical consumption charts
  • Appliance-level estimation through load signature patterns

Technology stack

Hardware

Arduino Uno or ESP32ACS712 or SCT-013 current sensorZMPT101B voltage sensorOLED displayEEPROM

Firmware

Embedded C / ArduinoADC samplingRMS calculationTimer interrupts

Cloud

ThingSpeak or FirebaseMQTT

Client

React dashboardChart.js

System architecture

The flow below is what goes into your architecture diagram and the corresponding chapter of the report.

  1. Analogue front end conditions current and voltage signals into the ADC range
  2. Sampling loop captures a full mains cycle and computes RMS values
  3. Power computation multiplies instantaneous samples to obtain real power
  4. Energy accumulator integrates power over time and writes to EEPROM periodically
  5. Tariff module maps units consumed to the applicable slab
  6. Upload task publishes readings to the cloud when connectivity is available

Expected output

  • Live power, voltage, current and power factor on the display
  • Cumulative energy and projected monthly bill
  • Consumption history charts in the dashboard
  • Calibration report comparing readings against a reference meter

Suitable branches, difficulty and duration

Suitable branches

Difficulty level

Intermediate. Comfortable for a team where at least one member has worked in this stack before.

Development duration

6–8 weeks including documentation, tested and ready to demonstrate. Milestones are planned around your review dates.

Documentation, review, demo and viva support

Documentation support

Abstract, problem statement, literature survey guidance, system architecture, ER and UML diagrams, module descriptions, test cases and screenshots — prepared in your department format.

Project review support

Delivery is split across your review calendar so review one has a design and plan, review two has working modules, and the final review has the integrated, tested system.

Demo support

A rehearsed demo path, seeded sample data, a reset script, and a recorded walkthrough kept as a backup in case something fails in the review room.

Viva preparation

A written question bank for this domain, a code walkthrough session, and practice at explaining each module in your own words — because the examiner will ask you.

Customisation options

Colleges reject duplicate topics, so most projects are adjusted before we start. These are the usual directions for this one.

  • Add relay-based load shedding when a budget threshold is crossed
  • Add three-phase measurement for an industrial version
  • Add solar generation measurement for a net metering view
  • Add appliance disaggregation using a machine learning classifier on load signatures
Talk to CodeLab69

Enquire about the Smart Energy Meter project

Send your branch, college and first review date. You will get confirmation of scope, what the customisation would look like, and a delivery plan mapped to your reviews.