1. Consumer categories

The complexity, and therefore the cost, of the metering equipment and the costs involved in acquiring and processing the data increase with the complexity of the tariff applied to the consumer. This is why, in applying the various tariffs, we most often take into account the customer's total consumption, and more specifically the power he is likely to call.

To understand how AC metering works, it's useful to remember that the electrical energy leaving a power plant is immediately brought up to high voltage (HV, 50 to 150 kV) or extra-high voltage (EHV, over 150 kV), to limit losses due to long-distance transmission. Some large customers (rail transport, steel industry, petrochemicals, etc.) are supplied directly with HV or EHV. HV/MV transformer substations serve smaller plants, which have their own MV/LV transformers for use in their own facilities. Finally, MV/LV...