MONITORING & METERING
REALISING THE FULL POTENTIAL O METER DIAGNOSTIC DATA
Utility companies considering new meter deployments need to consider if adding in-meter diagnostics can boost their return on investment in next-generation products. Mark Strzegowski, senior marketing manager, Analog Devices, explains how the company’s mSure-enabled meters and
analytics services enable multiple improvements – including eliminating meter accuracy verification, extending meter lifetime, reducing risk, and adding advanced revenue protection.
T
he last 15 years in the electricity metering industry have witnessed multiple waves of
change with a scope and size not seen since the days of Edison and Tesla. The transition from electromechanical to electronic meters was followed by automatic meter reading (AMR) systems which, in turn, evolved into advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems with higher speed, two-way communication, and the ability to deliver large amounts of data to central databases for billing, troubleshooting, and analysis. Undeniably, those changes brought in business
efficiencies ranging from drastically reduced labour hours for reading millions of meters, to improved access, to worker safety (such as a reduction of meter reader dog bites), to lower environmental impact from fewer truck rolls. Despite these advancements, the primary
function of the AMI network is still making sure all electricity consumption is measured and accounted for. However, rising competitiveness in the industry,
increased regulations, and demand for customised services are putting greater pressure on utilities to manage assets cost-effectively, provide exceptional customer service, and modernise processes. The promise of IoT includes translating various sensor-based information into action – new services, crew localisation, part inventories, and the control and maintenance of assets. An electrical utility commercial director or a
head of metering are still left with unresolved inefficiencies around maintaining the health of millions of meters on a case-by-case basis, verifying accuracy using imperfect statistical methods, disrupting service for testing, replacing meters prematurely, or using age-based decision making.
METER HEALTH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS For years, we have been told that the measurement technology in electricity meters is commoditised; therefore we put all our efforts into delivering value from analysing the available electricity data. What if the tables have flipped and the way to extract
more value out of AMI systems is to upgrade the measurement with new diagnostics, making the already smart meters even smarter? A technology that can non-intrusively monitor
the health of deployed meters, including the accuracy of the current and voltage sensors, and better detect meter tampering, can save significant cost for electrical utilities. Intelligence based on direct measurement of
meter health will help make decisions quickly and with confidence by identifying out-of-specification meters, detecting meter malfunction, and confirming and quantifying more tamper events. Utility companies will then be able to more
the accuracy of the metrology function directly and in real time.
Cloud-Based Analytics The analytics service combines various data sources and data history to provide actionable insights via advanced meter health and revenue protection modules.
CLOSER LOOK AT ROI Eliminating Meter Accuracy Verification Regulatory compliance sometimes requires checking the accuracy of up to 0.5% of all installed meters twice during a meter’s lifetime. A utility
“Analog Devices has created an analytics solution featuring a real-time diagnostic technology –mSure –residing in the individual utility meter that reports meter health data to an analytics service”
effectively dispatch field crews, optimise meter replacement, and reduce tamper investigation time.
AN EDGE-TO-CLOUD UTILITY METER ANALYTICS SOLUTION Analog Devices has created an analytics solution featuring a real-time diagnostic technology – mSure – residing in the individual utility meter that reports meter health data to an analytics service. The resulting actionable insights provide utilities with a direct ability to protect revenue better, manage field resources more effectively, reduce equipment costs, and improve customer service.
mSure Diagnostics mSure is a non-invasive diagnostics technology that monitors sensors for accuracy and faults. In utility meters, it is built into the new Analog Devices’ energy measurement IC and it delivers meter health data.
mSure-Enabled Meters An mSure-enabled meter has the ability to check
with 10M meters installed could easily incur a cost of $7.5M over the lifetime of the population. $75 cost per customer assumes removing the meter under test, installing a new one, performing the test in a lab, and then installing the original meter for another customer. In-field accuracy verification can prove even costlier and inconvenience customers. An mSure-enabled meter checks the accuracy of
the entire metrology function, while in the field and in full operation, leading to direct cost savings and customer service improvements.
Extended Meter Lifetime The most common method for determining when to replace meters is based primarily on length of service but, to be effective, the meter must be replaced before it is expected to fail. This means functioning meters are being thrown away. Being able to precisely and cost-effectively
check meter accuracy helps enable utility companies to make better replacement decisions. If we assume a $100 cost for the new meter and
In-meter health monitoring - Identifying out-of-specification and faulty meters 26 ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2023
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