Smart meters
What a smart meter is, how it differs from other electric meters, how many US homes and businesses have one, and what it does when the power goes out.
Last updated October 19, 2026
A smart meter is an electric meter that records how much electricity you use at least every hour and sends the readings to your utility at least once a day. Smart meters can also alert the utility when the power goes out.
What is an electric meter?
An electric meter measures how much electricity a home or business uses, in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and your bill is worked out from its readings. In its annual survey of utilities the EIA counts three kinds:
- Standard meters measure total kWh and are read by hand once a billing cycle. Some also record time-of-use or peak demand.
- Automated meter reading (AMR) meters send billing readings one way, to the utility, picked up by a van driving past or over a fixed network such as a cellular one.
- Smart meters (advanced metering infrastructure, AMI) record usage at least hourly and send it to the utility at least daily. They range from basic hourly interval meters to meters with two-way communication that report usage as it happens.
Meter counts are being loaded from the EIA. Check back shortly.
Do smart meters report power outages?
They can. According to the Department of Energy's review of the smart meter projects it co-funded, a smart meter can send a last-gaspalarm as it loses power and a notice when power returns. A utility that connects its meters to its outage management system can use those alarms to start an outage record automatically, combine meter data with its maps to build detailed outage maps, and “ping” meters during restoration to see which customers are still out. Some utilities post those maps on their websites.
The same review found that not every utility makes full use of this: connecting meters to outage systems takes work, and some utilities switch the automatic alerts off early in a big outage, while crews deal with substations and power lines, and back on once the number of alerts is manageable. So report an outage to your utility even if you have a smart meter. To see what utilities are reporting right now, check your county on the live outage map, and for how long outages usually take to fix, how long power outages last.
Prepaid meters and pay-as-you-go electricity in the US
“Prepayment meter” and “pay as you go” are mostly British terms; in the US the equivalent is a prepaid (or prepay) electricity plan, offered by some utilities. You pay ahead, and service is cut off or restored based on your account balance; a smart meter with a remote service switch lets the utility do that without sending anyone out. The Department of Energy's review describes prepay programs at Talquin Electric Cooperative and Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation, and found prepay plans reduce or eliminate deposits and late fees for customers. The EIA doesn't count prepaid customers, so there is no national figure; ask your utility whether it offers prepay.
Smart meters: FAQ
- What is a smart meter?
- A smart meter is an electric meter that records how much electricity you use at least every hour and sends those readings to your utility at least once a day. The EIA calls these advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters; the data is used for billing and other purposes and may also be shared with you.
- What's the difference between a smart meter and a regular electric meter?
- Every electric meter measures the electricity you use in kilowatt-hours. A standard meter is read by hand once a billing cycle. An automated meter reading (AMR) meter sends billing readings one way, to the utility, picked up by a passing van or over a fixed network. A smart (AMI) meter records usage at least hourly and sends it to the utility at least daily, and the most capable ones communicate both ways in near real time.
- Do smart meters report power outages?
- They can. A smart meter can send a last-gasp alarm when it loses power and a notice when power returns, and a utility that connects its meters to its outage management system can use them to start an outage record, map who is out, and ping meters to check who is still without power during restoration. But not every utility makes full use of this, and some switch the automatic alerts off early in a large outage, so report an outage to your utility even if you have a smart meter.
- Are there prepaid (pay as you go) electricity meters in the US?
- Some US utilities offer prepaid electricity: you pay ahead, and service is cut off or restored based on your account balance. A smart meter with a remote service switch lets the utility do that without sending anyone out. The Department of Energy's review of smart meter projects describes prepay programs at Talquin Electric Cooperative and Tri-State Electric Membership Corporation, and found prepay plans reduce or eliminate deposits and late fees for customers. The EIA doesn't count prepaid customers, so there is no national figure; ask your utility whether it offers prepay.
Meter counts are what each utility reported to the EIA on Form EIA-861, summed across the states it serves. Outage alerts and prepay are from the Department of Energy's 2016 report, Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Customer Systems: Results from the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program.
Data from EIA Form 861 (sales, customers, meters and time-based rates), every source we read.