Metering
Evolution of meter systems
The metering systems are changing all around the world from traditional electromechanical meters to new electronic meters with advanced communication features.
Future generations of smart meters will be part of AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) and AMM (Automatic Meter Management) systems, which allow utilities to remotely manage contractual activities such as disconnection, remote set-up of parameters and tarification, as well as to gather real time information of energy consumption and load level in the distribution network.
The main benefits of AMR and AMM systems are:
1) Reading Cost Reduction
- Reduction of errors in the reading process, decreases cost of billing management and administrative processes
2) Remote Meter Management
- Disconnection, tarification, remote set-up of parameters
3) Real Time information Available
- Real time information regarding energy/gas/water consumption available for utilities and end-users
- End users: Smart Management of power consumption possible
- Utilities: cost reduction by means of selecting low-cost generation sources to cover the estimated consumption.
- Accurate consumption estimations leads to more efficient operation of current generation power plants, saving time and money and offering a better service
- Utilities: early detection of overload conditions in the center of transformation avoid interruption of the service in densely populated urban areas
4) Fraud Detection
- Smart meters are more robust against manipulation
- Fraud avoidance is increased by means of real-time measurements in the distribution network, which allow utilities to know the energy balance in the transformer.
5) New Business Opportunities
- Security Services for administration, domestic and industrial customers.
- Monitorization and Control Services for Home and Industrial Automation.
- Real-Time information can be used in applications such as pollution monitoring, hydrographic and climatic sensing, urban panel information...
