機械式電表，是台灣家戶用電最日常的計量設備。透明的玻璃蓋下，鋁製轉盤緩緩旋轉，靜靜累積每一度電的使用紀錄。如今電力邁向智慧化，智慧電表逐步取代機械式電表，一顆顆完成任務的機械式電表因而退役。台電文創以人工拆解這些退役的機械式電表，取下透明的玻璃蓋，送入攝氏千度的爐火重新熔製，變成餐桌上的玻璃餐飲器皿，讓每一度電的記憶，回到餐桌。
退役機械式電表
Retired Mechanical Electric Meter: Bringing the Memory of Every kWh Back to the Dining Table
The mechanical electric meter is the everyday device that measures electricity use in Taiwanese homes. Beneath its transparent glass cover, an aluminum disc turns slowly, quietly recording every kilowatt-hour. Now that power systems are becoming smarter, smart meters are replacing mechanical meters, and one by one the mechanical meters are retired after completing their mission. TPCreative disassembles these retired mechanical meters by hand, takes out the transparent glass covers, and remelts them in a furnace at 1,000°C into glass tableware, bringing the memory of every kilowatt-hour back to the dining table.
國產機械式電表的歷史與退役 History and Retirement of Mechanical Electric Meters
早期臺灣的電表多仰賴日本進口，成本高昂，也難以全面普及。1954 年，大同公司設立全臺第一座電表工廠，並與日本東京芝浦電氣合作引進技術，再加上台電共同投入研究，1955 年，臺灣第一顆國產機械電表正式誕生。在電腦與自動化技術尚未普及的年代，每一顆電表都靠人工逐一檢驗；台電也成立電氣試驗所，負責電表的試驗與校正，確保用電量計算正確。
1960 年代起，國產電表穩定量產，成本下降、供應增加，1964 年更開始外銷東南亞。隨著家戶電表全面裝設，臺灣家庭由依電燈數計費的「包燈制」，逐步邁入依用電量計費的「表燈制」，電費也變得更公平、精準。
如今，機械式電表正逐步由智慧電表取代。台電自 2018 年起建置智慧電表，預計 2035 年全面完成；全臺約需 1,400 萬顆智慧電表，每年汰換約 150 萬至 200 萬顆，截至民國 114 年 12 月 31 日，累計已建置 410 萬 7,409 顆。每一顆被取代的機械式電表，就此完成任務、走向退役。
資料參考：台電月刊〈第一顆國產電表 現代化電表計量的大躍進〉；台電智慧電表建置進度
In the early days, Taiwan relied on imported meters from Japan, which were costly and hard to roll out widely. In 1954, Tatung established the first electric meter factory in Taiwan and, in cooperation with Tokyo Shibaura Electric of Japan and with research support from Taipower, produced the first domestically made mechanical meter in 1955. Every meter was inspected by hand, and Taipower set up an Electrical Testing Laboratory to calibrate them and ensure accurate measurement.
From the 1960s, domestic meters entered stable production, and from 1964 they were exported to Southeast Asia. As household meters spread, Taiwan moved from flat-rate billing by number of lamps to billing by actual consumption, making electricity charges fairer and more precise.
Today, smart meters are gradually replacing mechanical meters. Taipower began rolling out smart meters in 2018 and aims to finish by 2035. Taiwan needs about 14 million smart meters in total, with roughly 1.5 to 2 million replaced each year; as of December 31, 2025, 4,107,409 units had been installed. Every mechanical meter that is replaced completes its mission and is retired.
材料知識
機械式電表靠「轉盤」計算用電量：用電時，電流使電表內的鋁製轉盤轉動，用電越多轉得越快；轉盤再帶動一組齒輪，把轉動的圈數換算成度數（kWh），顯示在計量面板上。整套機構由透明的玻璃蓋保護。這種電表是家家戶戶常見的設備，如今成為見證台灣電力發展的重要時代物件。
Material Knowledge
A mechanical meter measures electricity with a rotating disc. When appliances are on, the current makes the aluminum disc inside turn, faster as more power is used, and the disc drives a set of gears that convert its rotations into kilowatt-hours shown on the dial panel. The whole mechanism is protected by a transparent glass cover. A familiar fixture of Taiwanese households, the mechanical meter is now an important artifact witnessing the development of Taiwan's power industry.
材料特性
玻璃硬度高、不易變形，也耐熱、耐候，即使長期暴露在戶外仍能保持通透，加上加工技術成熟，是當時電表蓋的理想材料。抄表人員與用戶透過玻璃蓋，就能直接看到計量面板的數字和轉盤的運轉；玻璃蓋通常搭配封印鎖使用，一旦封印被破壞或表蓋受損，電力公司就能立即察覺異常。
Material Property
Glass is hard, resists deformation, and withstands heat and weather, so it stays transparent even after long-term outdoor exposure. With mature processing techniques, it was the ideal material for meter covers of that era. Through the glass, meter readers and residents can see the digits and the rotating disc directly, and the cover is typically used with a sealing lock: once the glass breaks or the seal is breached, the power company can immediately detect the abnormality.
材料來源與數量
這批玻璃來自完成歷史任務的退役機械式電表。為了將「能源的記憶」轉化為「生活的溫度」，我們以人工拆解了 5,000 顆機械式電表，將取下的玻璃蓋重新製成玻璃餐飲器皿。
Source & Quantity
This glass comes from retired mechanical meters that have completed their historical mission. To transform "memories of energy" into "warmth of life", we disassembled 5,000 mechanical meters by hand and remade their glass covers into tableware.
機械式電表的構造 Structure of a Mechanical Electric Meter
Exploded view of a mechanical electric meter
由上而下，一顆機械式電表包含：
玻璃蓋與金屬環：保護內部機構，也是這次取下再製的材料。
齒輪組與支架：傳動機構，連接轉盤與計量面板。
計量面板：顯示累計用電度數。
銘牌：記載製造廠、年份、型號與電壓電流規格。
機身、線圈與底座：電表的基礎結構與接線部分。
From top to bottom, a mechanical meter consists of:
Glass cover with metal ring: protects the mechanism, and is the material recovered for this project.
Gear train and bracket: the transmission linking the disc to the dial panel.
Dial panel: shows accumulated electricity use.
Nameplate: records the manufacturer, year, model, and voltage and current ratings.
Body, coils, and base: the basic structure and wiring of the meter.
材料細節 Details of Materials
Meter bodies and glass covers separated after disassembly
機械式電表的計量面板
計量面板由 5 組顯示 0 至 9 的數字圓盤與指針組成，顯示累計的用電度數。仔細觀察會發現，相鄰圓盤的數字是順時針與逆時針交錯排列的，這是因為齒輪之間正反銜接傳動，各個位數才能逐級進位。
Dial Panel of the Mechanical Meter
The panel consists of five dials, each showing the numbers 0 to 9, together with pointers, and displays the accumulated electricity use. The numbers on neighboring dials run alternately clockwise and counterclockwise, a result of the gears engaging in forward and reverse, which lets each digit carry over to the next progressively.
Close-up of the dial panel: five dials with pointers
Transmission gears removed from the meter
Nameplate: made by Tatung Co., 1992, single-phase three-wire 220V
加工程序 Processing Procedure
從退役的機械式電表到再生玻璃，要經過以下四個步驟。
From a retired mechanical meter to recycled glass, there are four steps.
Step 1 Disassembly by hand: glass covers removed one by one
Step 2 Refining: glass covers remelted in the furnace
Step 3 Forming: molten glass dropped into the mold
Step 4 Rebirth: recycled glass becomes tableware
再生玻璃的特徵
經過千度爐火重新熔製的玻璃，保留了機械式電表玻璃蓋過往風霜留下的刻痕，在光線折射下化作細緻的層次。再生玻璃可能出現細微氣泡或料流紋理，這是回收再製玻璃的自然特徵，也是這份材料獨一無二的證明。
Characteristics of Recycled Glass
Refined in a furnace at 1,000°C, the glass of retired mechanical meters keeps the weathered etchings of the past, reborn as delicate layers of light refraction. Recycled glass may contain tiny bubbles or flow lines, which are natural characteristics of the material and proof of its uniqueness.
