Electricity Meter Reading

The face of the electricity meter reading market is changing fast, as a swathe of technologies have their impact. Electricity meter reading, which was once accepted as a logistical, paper-based nightmare, can now be undertaken as remotely as an electricity meter reading company wishes it to be. Data from the electricity meter reading process can be funnelled from a range of remote, wireless sources into the databases of multiple electricity providers, or as part of the reading of the meters of electricity, gas and/or water.

In Europe, the explosion of GSM/GPRS technology is combining with regulatory changes to encourage fast uptake of automatic meter reading (AMR). Meanwhile, a growing number of machine-to-machine communications such as mobile communication services for electricity meter reading are becoming increasingly popular.

As deregulation gears up across all 25 European Union members - a process that will be complete in 2007 - it is driving fast change in the electricity meter reading market.

This is leading to the necessity for new forms of automatic electricity meter reading services just to manage the sheer volume of data required to survive in a deregulated environment.

Electricity meter reading is still one of the most labour-intensive utility activities - especially as deregulated countries move to monthly billing. Although use of automated meter reading technologies (AMR) is increasing, most utilities are still reading the majority of their meters manually.

Different companies are taking on different solutions in an environment governed by the diversity of electric meter reading and AMR equipment, complexity of accounts and billing, the challenges of service territory, and needs of different customer classes. Studies have shown the main strategies to be:

• Reducing the costs of electric meter reading through contract negotiations, rerouting, more sophisticated handheld equipment and meters, productivity improvement, and lowering overheads.
• Using contract electricity meter reading to reduce overheads, tackle seasonal peaks, and as a strategy to move to AMR. This is a route taken by most New Zealand utilities.
• Introducing AMR, including identifying strategies to pinpoint 'high read cost' meters, unsafe meter locations, and high-turnover premises. Some companies have automated key accounts and commercial accounts to accommodate real-time pricing and/or prepare for a competitive market.

Contact DataCol to find out how to maximise the value of data gained from electricity meter reading.