Imagine not only seeing how much electricity your balcony power plant is generating, but your system automatically deciding how best to use that electricity – whether directly in the house, in storage, or fed into the grid. That's exactly what a smart meter does. It measures your household's current energy consumption in real time and transmits this information to your energy system. This ensures that not a single watt is wasted – the generated solar power is optimally distributed and utilized.
What exactly does a smart meter do?
A smart meter is the heart of energy management in your smart home. It continuously measures electricity consumption in the house and, based on this, controls where the energy should flow. If little electricity is currently needed, it signals, for example, the EcoFlow STREAM to direct excess energy into storage. If consumption increases, STREAM automatically feeds up to 800 W into the home grid. In this way, the smart meter ensures that your solar power is used efficiently – without waste and completely automatically.
When does a smart meter really make sense?
A smart meter only reaches its full potential when combined with a storage system . Without storage, it can only collect data – with storage, it takes over complete energy management.
Especially useful if:
- You want to maximize your self-consumption.
- You are using a balcony power plant with EcoFlow STREAM Pro or Ultra or a similar storage system.
- You want to control your power flows automatically.
- You're opting for smart home integration with Shelly, Tapo, or Tibber. But be aware, you'll need the right smart meter!
The EcoFlow Smart Meter – the brain of your system
The EcoFlow Smart Meter is the central control element in the EcoFlow system. It measures how much energy your household currently needs and transmits this data to the STREAM system in real time. STREAM then dynamically feeds electricity up to a maximum of 800 W into the home grid or charges the storage system when there is a surplus.
That means:
- No manual intervention is needed – the SmartMeter does the thinking.
- Electricity is only fed into the grid when it is actually needed.
- Excess energy is not wasted, but stored efficiently.
Particularly practical: The real-time display in the app clearly shows you how your smart meter works – from electricity flow and consumption to feed-in.
Shelly, Tibber & Co. – how other smart meters work
Besides EcoFlow, other manufacturers also offer smart meter solutions:
- Shelly SmartMeter: Ideal for smart home enthusiasts who want to monitor their consumption and control devices automatically.
- Tibber Pulse / SmartMeter: Measures your electricity consumption and automatically adjusts your dynamic electricity tariff – independent of solar power.
- Tapo SmartMeter (e.g., Tapo P110): Provides detailed consumption data, measures energy in real time, and enables smart control of individual devices via the app. Ideal for beginners in energy management.
All these systems now take over active energy management by intelligently controlling consumption and feed-in, thus enabling efficient use of the generated electricity.
Installation & Security
Generally, smart meters should be installed by qualified personnel, as electrical installations can only be carried out safely by trained electricians. However, there are exceptions depending on the model: some smart meter systems are designed for easy integration into existing socket or plug systems. In most cases, though, the responsible metering point operator or a qualified electrician will handle the professional connection to ensure safe and compliant integration into your electrical grid.
After proper installation, you can connect your SmartMeter to the EcoFlow app and view all the data.
💡 Tip: Make sure that all components (SmartMeter, STREAM, App) are connected to the same network – this is an important requirement for the system to function correctly and to ensure stable communication and reliable control.
Efficient electricity thanks to smart control
A smart meter is much more than just a measuring device – it's the intelligent control center of your balcony power plant. It truly unfolds its full potential, especially when combined with a storage system like the EcoFlow STREAM . The smart meter analyzes in real time how much energy your house currently needs and precisely controls whether the electricity should flow into the storage system or directly into the home's electrical grid. This ensures no energy is wasted and every watt generated is used optimally.
Technically, the smart meter works like a dynamic energy distributor: It continuously balances generation and consumption, ensuring that STREAM feeds in precisely the amount of electricity needed – a maximum of 800 W. The result is a noticeably higher self-consumption rate, less grid power, and ultimately, real money saved. At the same time, you relieve the strain on the electricity grid and use your solar power with maximum efficiency.
In short: A smart meter takes your balcony power plant to the next level. It makes your system not only smarter, but also more economical. No electricity is wasted, and you make optimal use of every kilowatt-hour generated.
