Electricity & Gas Smart Meter – Benefit and Importance
Electricity & Gas Smart Meter – Benefit and Importance
Smart Meter which is called as Next Generation Meter is going to replace all the dump or traditional meter worldwide. Since last 10 years industry has focused their attention towards this. It saves energy, time and money of all the Market Participants.
What is Smart Meter?
A Smart Meter is a type of meter which sends accurate measurement of
Electricity and Gas to the Billing Company in order to produce correct Bill and
Invoice. It’s digital meter which can take measurement of Energy on real time.
How does Smart Meter work?
In a simple word, Smart Meter is connected with WAN (Wider Area Network)
which sends signal of the Meter read which is further connected with the server
from where Supplier and other parties can access the measurement. No need to
take read manually in Smart Meter case.
How does the Utility Market Designed?
To understand the benefit of Smart Meter, we should have better
understand about the Participants and their activities. It is also important to
know the inter relations among them.
There are multiple Market
Participants inter connected in Utility Industry:
- ·
Transmission/Generation
- ·
Distribution
Network
- ·
Supplier or
Energy Manager
- ·
Meter
Operator
- ·
Data
Collector
- ·
Data
Aggregator
- ·
Customer –
Domestic and Commercial
Transmission/Generation: The core responsibility of this
participant is to generate the energy (Gas and Electricity) from the original
source and convert them into compatible form for further use.
Distribution
Network: It’s
Distributors who maintain Energy in all the required territory via pipeline
(Gas) and Cables & Towers (Electricity). Distributor purchase Gas and
Electricity from the Generation/Transmission Companies and further provides to
the suppliers.
Supplier
or Energy Manager: Supplier is
solely responsible for billing and Invoicing against the consumption. Supplier
purchases Gas and Electricity and provides to the households.
Meter
Operator: Meter
Operator reports to Supplier and manage Meters to ensure smooth consumption and
calculation of the energy. Meter Operator performs various Meter related jobs
like
-
Removal
-
Installation
-
Meter Exchange
-
Re-positioning
-
Energisation/De-Energisation
-
Data Correction etc.
Data
Collector: Data
Collector collects periodic and other reads from the premise and sends to
supplier.
Data
Aggregator: DA maintains
Energy flow and suggests to supplier about the requirement of the customers in
advance so that Energy can be maintained as and when required in accurate
quantity in order to avoid any shortfall or access.
Customer
– Domestic and Commercial: Customer can
be an individual, group of people, firm or company. Customer pays for the
energy consumed. Basis on the consumption capacity there are two types of
customer – Domestic and Non Domestic. Domestic customer has less consumption as
compared to Non Domestic.
Procedure to obtain Meter read for billing
purpose in Non Smart Meter.
Below is step by step guideline to understand the procedures of
accessing and utilizing meter reads for billing purpose:
1.
Supplier Contacts Customer to seek advice about type of
meter and consumption requirement.
2.
Supplier Appoints Meter Operator to fit the relevant
Meter at the premise.
3.
Supplier sets frequency of read and appoints Data
Collector to obtain the same
4.
Data Collector visit at the premise to take Meter Read
on regular basis.
5.
Basis on the Meter read supplier generates billing and
Invoicing to the customer.
How Smart Meter has made the billing
process easy and accurate?
·
No need to appoint Data Collector to obtain read on
periodic basis.
·
Smart Meter calculates and sends Meter read on every
moment.
·
Customer can also obtain read using his/her mobile or
other device.
·
No need to perform any Meter Exchange if customer
switches meter from Key to Credit or vice versa.
·
Less chance of any dispute between Customer and
Supplier.
·
Read would be easily available at the time of Supplier
Change or Final disconnection.
Does Smart Meter save cost to the market
participants Involved into it?
Absolutely yes, because Smart Meter works effectively on every level and
benefit goes to the every market participants directly and indirectly.
·
Customer: Customer is
not bound to provide any read at any period of time. Customer can access their
meter read remotely while sitting in office or driving car. No extra cost
involved into it. In traditional Meter when customer moves out from his/her
premise he/she has to access the read to get it availed to the supplier. Since
accuracy of consumption is authentic hence customer gets correct Invoice for
their utility consumption.
Data
Collector: Earlier Supplier used to form a large team of Data Collector and
Readers to obtain read on periodic basis however Smart Meter do not need any
manual intervention and Data Collector can put the read into their system by
accessing it remotely. Energisation, De-Energisation, Dis-Connection,
Re-Connection, Read and Settlement Validation and many other activities can be
performed remotely which is the best part of Smart Meter.
Data
Aggregator: Since Meter Read accessed by Smart Meter is very authentic hence Data
Aggregator can aggregate future consumption very effectively with the help of
less manpower and tools. There is less chance of Energy Shortfall or extra
supply
Apart from the above, other participants also have benefits from Smart
Meter like if Transmission and Distributor have correct consumption history they
can manage energy production and distribution effectively in less cost.
Especially in Electricity scenario Smart Meter acts a vital role as we
should always keep one thing in our mind that Electricity can’t be stored. Un-used
electricity is just wastage and its overall loss of revenue of country hence
Government and other local body should promote Smart Meter efficiently.
Electricity & Gas Smart Meter – Benefit and Importance
vow..absolutely suprbb
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