Which 1880s invention did Thomas Edison develop to measure electricity consumption?

Thomas Edison developed an electric meter to measure electricity consumption in the 1880s.

A practical billing system required more than generating and distributing electricity. Utilities needed a way to determine how much power each customer used. Edison worked on meters associated with his direct-current lighting system, including chemical or electrolytic designs.

These early devices were not identical to the modern electronic meters found in homes. Some relied on material deposited by an electric current, allowing consumption to be estimated from a measured change. Their development was part of the broader challenge of making electric service commercially workable.

Edison is often remembered for lamps and power stations, but metering was essential to the business model surrounding them. It connected electrical science with utility accounting.