Electric Power Meters

ID: electric_power_meters
Era: Industrial
First known date: 1888 (exact)
Region: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Review status: source_checked
Maturity: N/A

Measurement devices that enabled billing, load planning, conservation, and business models for distributed electrical service.

Core metadata

Electric Meter (Engineering and Technology History Wiki, 2019, museum) • Supports: node
Locator: ETHW states that Oliver Shallenberger received an 1888 patent for an A.C. watt-hour meter that enabled the electric utility business model.
US388003A - Meter for alternating electric currents (Google Patents / United States Patent Office, 1888, official_agency) • Supports: node
Locator: U.S. Patent 388,003 for Shallenberger's meter for alternating electric currents is dated August 14, 1888.

Edge/source evidence summary:

Prerequisite	Type	Confidence	Evidence level	Note	Sources
Alternating-Current Power Systems (alternating_current_power)	enabling	68%	expert_inference	Alternating-Current Power Systems provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path.	Alternating Current (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026, textbook) • Supports: edge
Electrical Grid (Early Distribution) (electrical_grid_early_distribution)	historical_predecessor	75%	expert_inference	Electrical Grid (Early Distribution) is an earlier historical predecessor or foundation, not a one-to-one engineering dependency.	Edison Biography (U.S. National Park Service, 2026, official_agency) • Supports: edge
Precision Machine Tools (precision_machine_tools)	enabling	68%	expert_inference	Precision Machine Tools provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path.	Machine Tool (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026, textbook) • Supports: edge

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