Automatic Meter Reading

(AMR)

by
Dr. Mohan Khedkar
Professor
EED, VNIT
 What is AMR?
Automatic Meter Reading is the collection at a remote central
location of data from meters and other devices at customers’
premises via telecommunications. It involves the following
components:

Meter
Meter register or index capable of generating pulses corresponding to the
consumption through the meter, or creating an electronic data stream
containing its current reading as well as additional information (cumulative
consumption, peak demand, alarm flags, etc.)
Telemetry interface unit (TIU) connected to the meter that transmits the
information
Communication network or system to transfer the data from the TIU to the
utility’s offices. For radio systems, there may also be a local data collection
unit (DCU) that gathers data from many nearby TIUs and transmits it over the
communications network to the utility's offices.
An AMR control computer or utility terminal unit (UTU) to receive, collect
and manage this data
Software to run the system and present the data to the utility's billing and
other information systems
 Benefits Influencing The Business Case For
Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) Adoption

• Improved customer service, which includes:

– Minimizing the need to access customer property to
read meters
– Reducing customer complaints and damage claims
resulting from monthly visits to customer site
– Call resolution improvement – billing complaint calls
will be handled more quickly due to availability of
more frequent meter readings
– No need for customer to read their own meters due to
meter access issues
– Provide detailed consumption information to
customers
 Benefits contd…
• Save on regular "on-cycle" meter reading
• Obtain more easily (and in some cases,
instantly) initial and final meter readings for
opening and closing accounts
• Streamline high bill investigations
• Flag potential high consumption before
customers get a high bill
• Help pinpoint system losses
• Help detect theft of service
• Enable more frequent readings with little
incremental cost
 Contd..
• Improve cash flow management
• Improve revenue forecasting, by tying detailed consumption
information to production data and expected billings
• Enable more sophisticated rates; i.e., that more closely track
costs, or encourage conservation.
• Improve meter management: ensure meters are properly sized;
determine optimal time in service or cumulative registration
 Identification of utility power hungry equipment and in-
efficient usage practices through comparisons of peaks and
trends across sites and equipment through AMR.
• Improved billing accuracy
• Controlled meter reading costs
 COMPONENTS OF AMR SYSTEMS
1 Meter Interface Module
•With power supply, meter sensors, controlling
electronics and a communication interface that allows
data to be transmitted from this remote device to a
central location. In many instances, this communication
interface is bi-directional and allows central office
signals to be received by the remote unit as well. Every
electric, gas or water meter must have such an interface
unit to be remotely read. Some key components of the
remote device may be shared by more than one meter
without regard for the type of meter; i.e., electric, gas or
water.
 2. Communications Systems
• Used for the transmission, or telemetry, of
data and control signals between the
meter interface units and the central office.
Typically, such communications take the
form of telephone, power line carrier
(PLC), radio frequency (RF), or cable
television.
• The system components in the
communications system depend on the
communication media used.
 3. Central Office Systems Equipment
• Includes modems, receivers, data concentrators,
controllers, host upload links, and host
computer.
• Many utilities have for some time been taking
advantage of electronic meter reading systems
using hand-held data terminals that
communicate with a central controller via phone
lines.
• There is great similarity between the host side
electronic meter reading and automatic meter
reading system function.
There are three major building block
functions that the meter interfaces and
related electronics must perform.

•First functional building block, an electromechanical or electro-

optical interface must be incorporated into or attached to the
meter. This converts information conveyed by the meter's
mechanical register indexes, or dial readings, into electronic
signals that may be processed, manipulated, stored and
transmitted.
• The second functional building block is a controller unit
consisting of a low-voltage power supply, signal processing
electronics, microcomputer, and random access memory and
program memory used to store the real-time run or operating
system program. The controller unit is used to process the
signals originating from the meter's electromechanical or
electro-optical interface device.

• The third functional building block is the communication

scheme and its associated transmit/receive electronics.
Generally, meter-to-utility host communications use one or
more transmission techniques: telephone, power line carrier,
radio frequency through the airwaves, or television cable.
• The AMR system starts at the meter.
• Some means of translating readings from rotating meter dials,
or cyclometer style meter dials, into digital form is necessary
in order to send digital metering data from the customer site to
a central point.
• In most cases, the meter that is used in an AMR system is the
same ordinary meter used for manual reading.
• The internal mechanism used for metering consumption is
identical in both cases.
• The one difference is the addition of some device to generate
pulses relating to the amount of consumption monitored, or
generate an electronic, digital code that translates to the actual
reading on the meter dials
AMR System- block diagram
 SERVICES AND FUNCTIONS
• The full-scale implementation of AMR requires that a data
communication network be established that effectively links
every utility customer with the utility's central office.
• The actual amount of AMR-related data and its frequency of
transmission is very low. These factors contribute to the
difficulties encountered in the economic justification of AMR
systems.
• There are, however, a myriad of services and functions that
can be accomplished through this communication system,
some of which significantly reduce a utility's operating costs
and some of which can actually generate additional revenues.
• The incremental costs associated with incorporating these
functions in the AMR system controllers are marginal.
• Payback can vary enormously. In theory, it is almost possible
to finance a full-scale AMR system installation through the
resulting costs savings and new revenue-producing services.
 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
• Elements of a financial analysis of AMR include:
 Capital costs, including meters, TIUs, network, control
computer hardware and software, installation, and
project management
 Labour savings, including the reduction in staff hours for
meter reading and meter reading-related customer
service, and savings on vehicles and miscellaneous
costs associated with meter reading
 Operation and maintenance of the system, including
telecommunications costs, labour and vehicle costs,
repair of system components, battery replacements
 Increased revenues from reducing system losses or
replacing older inaccurate meters
 Contd..
• The analysis should use discounted cash flow over a planning
horizon, to account for life-cycle costs and residual value of
the equipment.

• Intangible benefits, even though they cannot be easily

quantified, are important.
• They include improved customer service and confidence, and
the value of consumption information to customers and the
utility. In an era of privatization and increasing competition in
the utility industries, these intangible benefits, and the
customer loyalty they create, are increasingly important.
PLANNING FOR AMR IMPLEMENTATION
• An AMR deployment is a high-profile project that requires
careful planning. The implementation plan should include:

 Project control system

 Public and customer relations
 Project staffing
 Human resources plan for displaced employees
 Job descriptions for new responsibilities
 Customer service process redesign to take advantage of the
new system
Overall Accuracy For kWh and
Demand Meters in service

ACCURACY = (SUMMATION OF ERROR IN

EACH PROPORTION OF LOAD)/TOTAL
NUMBER OF PROPORTIONS
CONSIDERED

If a error value of any test proportion is

greater than 3 % ,the meter needs
correction .
Q.) A Commercial Consumer when received high energy
bill challenged the meter’s accuracy. The kWh meter
when tested at the Meter Testing Laboratory was found to
have following errors.?

(1/10)th of Load =-1%

(1/4)th of Load = 0 %
(1/2) of Load = 2%
(3/4)th of Load = +3%
Full Load = +6 %
Find the overall accuracy and write the interpretation and
calculate the final correction if any ?
1/10 1/4 1/2 3/4 1
Solution : –
Overall Accuracy = (-1 +0 +2 +3 +6)/5 = 2 %.
Interpretation – This cannot be a true solution because the
error in the Full Load system is 6 %. There will be a meter error
too.
From the table we can conclude that commercial customer is
coming into the picture only when there is a 25 % of full load
demand and full load demand .He is utilizing it 30 % of
proportionate load and 70 %of proportionate load respectively.
So overall error = 0.3 X 0 + 0.7 X 6 =4.2 %
Correction = 4.2 – 2 = 2.2 %
ERROR % AND CORRECTION
F0R ALL TYPE OF LOADS
 NET METERING :-
• NORDIC COUNTRIES System – Denmark ,Finland
Iceland Norway and Sweden.
In these countries net amount is
paid in terms of currency to
the customer.
• INDIAN OPEN ACCESS SYSTEM – Where net
consumption of power is adjusted in next annual cycle.
In these system net amount is only
paid when customer changes the state or Power
supplier.
Q.) Calculate the net demand in the table in terms of
present scenario of :

1) NORDIC COUNTRIES SYSTEM

2) INDIAN OPEN ACCESS SYSTEM
CONSIDER

10.5$ (35 Rs)/kWh

2Every value given here is kWh.

Also mention how much difference it is creating

neglecting investment and maintenance cost . ?

Assume

1) That customer is not changing his power producer

After a annual cycle.

2) NORDIC COUNTRIES are operating their

currency in Dollars (Generally they do in Euro’s or
Pounds)
 Solution :-)
NORDIC COUNTRIES : -
1.) 395 * (0.5$) = 197.5 $

Instead of paying 3000$,They

Have to pay only 197.5 $

Profit = 3000-197.5 = 2802.5$

 SYSTEM :-

Summation of all
net = 395 kWh,

The equivalent
energy is given free
of cost in the next
annual cycle as per
rules framed under
Open Access.
Thank You