In various embodiments, a policy-based residential networked meter can be an energy switch router device (ESRD) that provides policy-based advanced metering, load control and shaping, energy services delivery and accounting, and secure web services interfaces and internetworking communications. The ESRD can be integrated and inter-related with advanced policy-based sensory, metrology, monitoring, control, recording, classification, prioritization, security, routing, and switching functions. The ESRD may be used to sense, measure, meter, and control electrical service flows to the utility service point at the customer premise, and may be configured and managed with one or more policy-based networking methods.