Energy Meter Reading system.

1. Automatic Meter Reading
Selecting the Technology
BPL?
IR?
Internet?
RS232?
RJ11?
MasterMeter?
RF?
FireFly?
SpreadSprectrum?
SilverSpring?
Nexus?
Dave Hallquist
Vermont Electric Cooperative

2. Why Do AMR?
 Billing and Meter Reading Benefits
 Reduce Meter Read Costs
 Reduce Error
 Eliminate Entry Liability
 Eliminate Member Complaints about
Meter Readers
 Improve Billing Flexibility
 Improve Financial Predictability
 Reduce HR issues

3. Other AMR Benefits
Carefully select the technology, there is more to AMR
than reading meters.

4. Rates
 Rate Setting has been more of an art
than a science
 AMR allows detailed analysis of peak
demands – critical to setting rate
structures by class
 Reduces the tension between residential
commercial and industrial
As Vermont Public Interest Research
Group has charged “The poor residential
ratepayers are subsidizing big business!”

5. System Planning
 System load studies often use gross
assumptions (i.e. – 1.1kw/home). This can
result in substantial errors as VEC has
found certain substation residential home
loads are significantly higher, while others
are significantly lower
 Unusual spot load growth have caught
utilities by surprise
 R-T AMR provides the local data to
significantly improve the accuracy of
system planning

6. Load Control
 Many systems provide optional load
control packages
 R-T AMR enables verification of load
control
 R-T AMR enables significant flexibility
in load control
 By using a greater number of shorter off
times, member satisfaction with load
control programs is markedly improved

7. Phase Balancing
 Phase loading is typically done once
in a lifetime on many systems
 Retro versus pro-active
 AMR shows what phase each meter is
on
 Results:
 Better system balancing
 Improved transformer efficiency
 Greater safety for line personnel

8. Voltage Profiles
 R-T AMR allows flexibility in time
buckets for analyzing member issues
 Accurate voltage analysis' can identify
connectivity issues
 Improved member satisfaction
(implicit versus explicit needs)
 Identify voltage sag issues
 I-D neutral problems early to prevent
member equipment failure (burn out
resulting from excessive voltage)

9. Voltage Profile

10. Voltage Profile

11. Load Profile
 R-T AMR allows flexibility in time
periods for profiles
 Good for managing high bill
complaints
 Commercial and Industrials can use
system to reduce peak demand
charges

12. Load Profile

14. Transformer Sizing
 AMR transformer studies reveal sizing
issues
 Prevents transformer failures due to
members’ lack of planning
 Correct transformer sizing reduces
line loss cost
 Elimination of electric heat left many
transformers oversized

15. Load Profile for Transformer
Hourly Profile Data
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.001
3
5
7
9
1
1
1
3
1
5
1
7
1
9
2
1
2
3
Hour
KVA
19-Jan
18-Jan
17-Jan
16-Jan

16. Distribution Automation
 R-T AMR infrastructure can often be
used for SCADA
 Many companies have interfaces for
SCADA equipment
 AMR communications is lower cost
than dedicated (fiber, copper, radio)

17. Outage Restoration
 R-T AMR is a very powerful tool when
combined with an Outage Management
System (OMS) and Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) system
 Predictive feature of OMS eliminates need
for ticket sorting
 IVR reduces call volume by 80% with
significant improvements in member
satisfaction
 Combined with Map Presentation program
(Mapview, Arcview) provides dispatch with
visual outage tracking
 Eliminates need to call member to verify
outage has been restored

18. Connect and Disconnect
 R-T AMR allows for “soft” disconnect
without additional infrastructure
 Great for move in / move out
 Disconnect devices available for many
product platforms
 Devices are plug-in; underneath the
meter
 Allows for disconnect from the office

19. Load Control
Device Mounted to
control a Water Heater
and an Air-Conditioner
at a Florida Power and
Light (FPL) Customer’s
Home
Load Control
at Florida Power
and Light (FPL)

20. Lake Region Electric Cooperative
Pelican Rapids, Minnesota (the red star)
 25000 members
 7c/kwh residential rate
 Mainly coal
 80 mw non-coincidental
peak (peaks in winter –
slightly larger than
summer peak)
 10% peak shaving using
disconnects switches –
a load shedding
strategy - not a load
shifting strategy
 65mw coincidental
peak
 7000 peak disconnect
switches (primarily for
hot water heaters)
 70% penetration on existing water heater users (10k total)
 Water heater credit – straight credit – $4/mo./40gal heater - $8/mo./80gal heater
 An off-peak incentive rate exists – 40% savings off-peak – on-peak rate same as
residential – few residential takers – mainly storage heat

21. Billing
 Significantly improves billing
predictability
 Eliminates ties to read schedules that
are based on meter routes
 Reduces outstanding receivables by
reducing billing lead-time
 Virtually eliminates mis-reads and
requisite member revisits
 Allows for industrials/commercials to
close monthly books earlier

22. Time of Use (TOU) Billing
 R-T AMR simplifies TOU reading and
billing process
 Allows for multiple TOU rates
 Load shifting a good strategy for
reduction of system coincident peaks
thus reducing power supply cost
 Allows for tailored incentive programs
 Many utilities have reduced system
peak by 10%

23. Customer Service
 No longer tell member to “check the
meter”
 Find out about outage before member calls
 No need to call member to verify
restoration
 With IVR and OMS, member can get
outage status anytime
 Turn Customer Service Reps into usage
experts through usage profile
 Make the moving process easy for your
members
 Minimize the ‘hand-offs’ to improve the
member experience

24. Potential R-T AMR Savings

25. VEC ROI Analysis

26. VEC’s Choice
 DCSI TWACS for all but the largest
users
 Electro-Industries Nexus for Large
users (>500kw) and substations
 Why TWACS?
 DCSI had significant experience and a
variety of options
 Very good references
 Outage Monitoring and Reporting
 Ability to ‘ping’ on demand
 Integrates with many CIS and Billing
Systems including NISC

27.  Why Nexus?
 Built-in web server
 Dual ports for maximum security
 On-demand usage, billing, history
 Transient Recording
 Record up to 512 Samples per Cycle Peak
 Voltage Surge and Sag Recording
 EN 50160 Flicker Analysis
 Interharmonic Recording
 Fault Recording and Analysis
 Harmonic Analysis to 255th Order
 DNP 3.0 and Modbus capability
VEC’s Choice (con’t)

28. What Worked
 Organization was committed
 Four years of discussion created a high level of desire
from everyone
 Board of Directors was involved in these long-ranging
discussions
 Detailed project planning
 Microsoft project used to identify every action item
 Weekly status/action meetings for six months prior to
commissioning
 Project Manager and CFO co-own project
 Operations really wanted AMR
 TWACS a great product - Commissioning was
highly successful and exceeded all expectations