Lessons Learned in Advanced Metering

It was only a few years ago that drive-by automated meter reading (AMR) was the state of the art. True, two-way smart meters were still relegated to bold pioneers willing to find their own way through the jungle of confusing vendor claims.

Today, advanced metering has seen enough real-world deployments that a body of best practices has developed. Utilities no longer need to make it up as they go along; they can learn from the lessons of those who went before.

To show our point, we collected five recent articles from EnergyPulse and Utility Automation and Engineering. Each one illuminates one aspect of the smart metering process. We hope you'll find something useful to your own situation. It is smart to learn from your mistakes, but it is even smarter to learn from the mistakes of others. When it is time for your utility to make the advanced metering plunge, make sure you first consult the growing body of evidence on how to do it right.

What makes for sound AMI acquisitions strategy?  This article lays out a sound AMI acquisitions strategy, looking at questions such as: what is the value (and the risk) of open protocols? How can a utility decide if AMI will be productive and, if it will, which AMI system to deploy? How should it assign value to strategic benefits such as the ability to provide future services that are not yet acquired?  The short answer is: Examine the costs and benefits of available AMI systems, and choose the one that produces the best investment result for all stakeholders. If the study of costs and benefits includes all the value elements, the choice will be right.

   QuickTake: A valuable primer will help utilities make the best business case for advanced metering when facing the cost-conscious public and regulators.

   EnergyPulse Article

Advanced Metering: Making an intelligent choice. What’s the best approach when considering an advanced metering system? This article maintains that secret is in a reliable communications system.It is often this communications component, not the metering hardware, that proves to be the weak link. A typical metering communication system consists of three components: the transmitter, the communications and the receiver. There are three common types of communications commonly: mobile wireless (walk-by or drive-by), fixed wireless and fixed wired. When considering these options, it is essential that utilities consider future functionality.

   QuickTake: This short article brings advice from a senior utility engineer who is also a member of IEEE. It’s important to get direction from a good vendor/consultant before taking the AMR road.

   Utility Automation and Engineering Article

MDM Shopping? There are plenty of factors to weigh.  Done right, a meter data management (MDM) system will feed data to applications throughout a utility. There are a number of basics that every MDM system should offer. A data repository is one; data validation, editing and estimating are also key capabilities. A MDM system should help manage the metering deployment itself; MDM can be an inventory-tracking tool when putting that new equipment in the field. Look for customer-friendly web interfaces that can facilitate a consumer portal. Consider the following issue areas as well: vendor neutrality and independence; business-process management; system scalability; and aggregation capabilities.

   QuickTake: The heart of AMI is MDM. This article provides excellent guidance for utilities looking at this issue.

   Utility Automation and Engineering Article

AMI can be used for climate protection too.  Many utility executives believe the United States will pass carbon restrictions within the next five years. This article argues that advanced metering could substantially reduce greenhouse gases. Certain American utilities already use demand response mechanisms that reduce fossil fuel consumption. For example, non-critical loads such as electrical heating and cooling equipment can be temporarily turned off, or their usage shifted in time to more favorable periods. These demand response techniques reduce the need for backup generation and provide a corresponding degree of CO2 avoidance.

   QuickTake: Investment in AMI and other smart grid elements makes more that cost-benefit sense; it’s good for the environment and this point should not be forgotten when seeking support from consumers, legislators and regulators.

   EnergyPulse Article Part I

   EnergyPulse Article Part II

AMI gains popularity with co-ops.  Co-ops located in less populated areas waste a lot of windshield time involved in verifying service restorations. AMI offers a great solution and interest by backcountry co-ops is taking off. Today, outage restoration is one of the more popular AMI benefits among co-ops. AMI systems let engineers quickly see where outages have occurred and whether crews have restored power to everyone in the area. Also, considering that a single no-pay event can generate at least two site visits -- one for disconnection of service and one for reconnection -- such technology pays for itself when a distant customer fails to pay the power bill.

   QuickTake: Useful pointers for rural coops trying to understand the true cost-benefit of advanced metering; AMI Vendors would do well by keeping this potential market in mind.