A wattmeter measures electricity in watts and comes in two types: analog and digital. It helps monitor energy consumption and is critical in larger installations. Analog meters use coils and a needle, while digital meters use a microprocessor and LCD display. Wattmeters are sensitive and have specific voltage and current ratings.
A wattmeter is an instrument that provides a visual indication of the amount of electricity being supplied to a circuit. This indication is expressed in watts which is the standard unit of measurement for the supply or consumption of electricity. There are two commonly used types of wattmeters: analog and digital. Analog meters indicate power via a needle and scale indicator, while digital meters display power consumption on a liquid crystal display (LCD). Wattmeters are usually rated for a set voltage range, but may include features such as coil taps that allow for multiple voltages.
All electrical equipment consumes energy subject to a number of known constants including voltage rating, current usage expressed in amperes, and overall energy usage expressed in watts. Some types of electrical appliances or installations use significantly more energy than others of similar voltage ratings. A wattmeter allows you to monitor energy consumption to determine if the circuits are working properly. This information is critical in larger installations where large resistive loads are used. Wattmeters in such installations allow operators and technicians to track the health of individual circuits and the overall power balance and consumption.
Wattmeters are usually presented in one of two basic formats. The first is the traditional analog wattmeter. These are electrodynamic instruments and consist of three internal coils: two static current coils and one moving potential coil to which the indicator needle is attached. When an electric current is passed through the two current coils, an electromagnetic field is generated. This field moves the potential coil and displays a value on the scale behind the needle.
The second type of wattmeter is the electronic or digital meter. These devices differ from electrodynamic meters in the way they calculate energy consumption. Digital meters use a microprocessor to evaluate voltage and amperage readings from the circuit at a rate of several thousand samples per second. These samples are used to calculate an average power factor or energy consumption. The power factor reading is then digitally displayed on an LCD display.
The wattmeter is a fairly sensitive instrument and can be damaged by excessive current values. As with most electrical measuring tools, wattmeters are usually rated for a specific voltage range. Many high-end meters have coil tapping or series/parallel current coil switching which allows such devices to be used for multiple voltage ranges. All wattmeters are also rated for safe maximum current or amperage ratings; these ratings must be respected to avoid damage or destruction of the meter.
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