Auxiliary power supply for supplying power to additional functions within a meter

A meter for measuring the consumption of electricity by a load coupled to a power line, the meter comprising:

• a capacitor;
• a service disconnect circuit coupled to the capacitor;
• and
• an auxiliary power supply coupled to the capacitor that receives as an input the output voltage from the capacitor for use to power the meter during a power outage.

A meter for measuring the consumption of electricity by a load coupled to a power line, the meter comprising:

• a capacitor;
• a relay coupled to the capacitor, wherein the relay operates to disconnect the load from the power line or reconnect the load to the power line when energized by the output voltage of the capacitor;
• a power supply for powering the meter during normal operation;
• an auxiliary power supply coupled to the capacitor that receives, as an input, the output voltage from the capacitor for powering the meter during a power outage;
• and
• metering electronics coupled to both the power supply and the auxiliary power supply and powered by the auxiliary power supply during a power outage.