The Thomson-Houston Company, major
competitor the Edison companies, had produced successful
meter 1889 and the West Orange lab spent 1890 racing to
bring out Edison's mechanical meter before the Thomson-Houston
meter achieved widespread adoption within the Edison system.
The growth new electrical knowledge, especially in
electromagnetism, offered new solutions the problems of
measuring electrical energy. great many experiments on
metering electricity were carried out the West Orange lab by
Edison and the chief electrician, Arthur Kennelly.
. Advances the manufacture of
small springs and magnetic materials made electromagnetic
meter possible the late 1880s.9
was cumbersome, expensive maintain, and often highly
17
inaccurate.1®
The lab continued work meters until well into the
twentieth century, and Edison and his staff gained many more
19
patents for electric meters. The electric meter can hardly have been major
consideration the overall design electrical system,
but when the Edison companies set about selling electricity for
a profit they found that easily maintained, accurate meter
was vital. The Edison laboratory was soon involved race to
introduce new electromagnetic meter before its rivals the
electric lighting industry, who had also appreciated the value
of improved meter. They
produced several new designs which were patented and
introduced, including weight-and-beam and electromagnetic
meters
