Title: A Smart Electricity Metering and Billing System for Shared Accommodation
Authors: Deocles Joseph, Michael Mbughi, Alexander Amsi, Abdallah Ali, Isaya Josephat, Alirehema Azaria, Elika Lunyungu, Henry Sanga, Godson Gideon
Volume: 10
Issue: 2
Pages: 19-23
Publication Date: 2026/02/28
Abstract:
Shared accommodation has become increasingly common due to urbanization and rising housing costs, particularly in developing countries. In such settings, electricity is typically supplied through a single main meter, resulting in collective billing practices that fail to reflect individual consumption. This often leads to unfair cost allocation, billing disputes, and inefficient electricity usage. Although smart electricity metering technologies and automated billing systems have improved billing accuracy and transparency at utility and household levels, their applicability to shared accommodation remains limited. This paper presents a comprehensive review of existing smart electricity metering systems, smart grid technologies, Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring solutions, and sub-metering approaches. The review critically evaluates their architectures, operational principles, and limitations with respect to shared accommodation environments. The analysis reveals that most existing systems lack occupant-level billing autonomy, depend on centralized infrastructure, or incur high deployment costs. The paper identifies a clear research gap and provides a strong justification for the development of a localized, cost-effective smart electricity metering and billing system that enables independent electricity purchasing under a shared supply framework.