Automatic Meter Reading

Automatic meter reading (AMR) was first tested 40 years ago by AT&T, who conducted trials with a group of utilities and Westinghouse. After those successful experiments, AT&T offered to provide phone system-based automatic meter reading services at $2 per meter. The price was four times more than the monthly cost of a person to read the meter.

In the past decade, automatic meter reading has grown from a concept to a widely accepted technology.

The primary driver for installing automatic meter reading systems was reduction of meter-reading costs. Collecting the critical monthly billing read without errors, without human intervention, and as quickly as possible were also major business case drivers.

However, many companies have learned to their cost that an automatic meter reading system must be backed up by a quality data collection and management system such as Seven X, which is fully integrated with business and customer processes.

The future of the automatic meter reading industry looks very healthy. New products include features such as leak detection abilities for water-oriented AMR products and solid-state electric meters that combine metering and AMR capabilities.

The increased choice of communication technologies - Zigbee, 802.11b, and Bluetooth - has created a wider spectrum of AMR products. Utilities have the ability to tailor their AMR solution to their territory and customer needs. Solutions exist for urban, suburban, and rural communities and can be combined to provide a custom-fitted solution rather than one-size-fits-all.

Contact DataCol now to find out how we can help you to extract the greatest value from your automatic meter reading system.