Experiences from testing of functionality and software of meters for electrical energy

The de-regulation of the electricity market in many European countries has increased the need for electricity meters with enhanced functionality. Both industrial and household customers are using the new types of meters. The dependability of the new technology has in some cases been discussed. The experiences from the evaluations carried out at SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute for approximately 15 different electronic meters are that there are ways to test the functionality and the embedded software. The effort depends on the complexity of the system, the size of the code and the documentation available. All faults cannot be claimed to be detected, but that is not the objective. The aim must be to reach a certain level of confidence in the product, not to declare it fault-free. It is possible to design an electronic meter for electrical energy which will be accurate, withstand environmental disturbances, provide adequate safety against shock and fire, functioning according to specification, and dependability