Credible Energy

Meter Management Pro’s and Con’s of deploying

different meter types and meter reading technology

in Nigeria

Presented by:

Engineer Abiodun Ajifowobaje – CEO - Ikeja Power Distribution Company

Riaan Naude – Technical Specialist – Consolidated African Technologies

David Baugh – MD – Power and Automation Technologies Limited

Overview

Metering options available:

Smart Metering (Automated Meter Reading)

Walk-By AMR (Pulse Count)

Radio / Mesh Network Technology

PLC (Power Line Communications)

Cellular Technology (SMS / 3G/ GPRS Communications)

Conventional Credit Metering (Electro Mechanical Meters)

Legacy Electro Mechanical Meters

IR Communications Port Enabled Meters

Pre-Paid Metering

How

many of

these do

you

have?

The Problem

Due to perceived inaccurate accounts customers do not pay

regularly and want pre-paid meters.

Accounts are not necessarily inaccurate, but rather a result of a

billing & distribution distortion caused by:

varying billing cycles

Irregular electricity supply results in variations in consumption.

Infrequent and limited access to premises

Estimation of accounts based on inconsistent history

Faulty and obsolete meters

The Problem

IKEJA DISCO already has 250 000 good quality Electro-

Mechanical meters installed (typically 3million countrywide)

Replacing them will come at a huge cost especially if replacement

is not necessary

Pre-Paid Meters - PRO’s & CON’s

PRO’s

Upfront payment

Reduced need to visit meters

Relatively cheap hardware

CON’s

Susceptible to Theft / Fraud -

Irregular visits results in bypasses

Reliable & Accessible Payment

(Vending) should be available 24/7

to the public

Vending from ‘non-utility points’

provide fraud opportunity

Smart Metering - PRO’s & CON’s

PRO’s

Reduced need to visit meters

Remote Cut-offs are possible

No need for cash vending

CON’s

Susceptible to Theft / Fraud -

Irregular visits result in

bypasses

Increased Capital Outlay

Users pay for power after they

have used it

Conventional Metering - PRO’s & CON’s

PRO’s

Less susceptible to theft &

fraud due to regular visits

No need for external cash

vending

Relatively cheap hardware

Possibility of using ‘field billing’

CON’s

Need to regularly visit meters to

obtain readings

Remote Cut-offs not possible

Labour intensive reading process

Restricted access leads to

estimated billing

Users pay for power after they

have used it

The Requirement

The solution employed may not be a single strategy.

Multiple measuring and reading technologies are often necessary

to serve different types of customers / areas

The Requirement

Whatever solution is installed must be agreeable the the end users

Users should be able to trust the results of both the measuring and

reading solutions.

The Requirement

The utility needs to know all the advantages and disadvantages of

every solution in order to best manage risk & return on investment.

The Solution

Deploy technology best suited to the demographic, location and

application

Devise strategies to strengthen the deployed solutions in the areas

where it comes up short or is open to abuse

Inspect meters even when the manufacturer claims they are

tamper proof or tamper resistant

Over 400 sites

in 13 Countries

Representation

in 17 Countries

CAT’s African Footprint Benin

Cameroon

Ghana

Lesotho

Mozambique

Nigeria

South Africa

Tanzania

Zambia

Botswana

Egypt

Kenya

Malawi

Namibia

Rwanda

Swaziland

Uganda

Zimbabwe 13

RouteMaster Handheld Computer

Ultra Rugged - IP67 - Waterproof & Submersible.

Communications: USB, Ethernet, WiFi & Bluetooth.

Optional Modules: Integrated GPS, RFID, 3G,

Colour Imager or Barcode Scanner.

Backlit Easy Keyboard designed for meter reading.

Color touch-screen.

Intelligent Lithium-Ion battery pack.

Additional battery packs.

2 x PCMCIA Expansion Card Slots.

Microsoft Windows CE .NET 5.0/6.0

RouteMaster – Loader Chargers

Single & Multi-unit loader/chargers

Simple drop-in operation

Simultaneous communications and

charging

Ethernet or USB communications

Intelligent Software allows unattended

communications operation.

Internet

Other Hardware

Software is hardware agnostic and

could be run on most devices with

limited development.

Superior Ruggedness, Reliability and

IP rating is essential.

RouteMaster Device Software

User Friendly Software

In-field verification of captured

readings

No-Access / Notes

Changed Meters / New Services

Search Capabilities

GPS location

Remote communications capable

Import: Customisable Data Integrity Checks

Meter Reader Routes are created in a hierarchical structure

Support for all Radix and select other handheld computers

Customisable Reading Exceptions

Problems need to be resolved by supervisor before the reading

route is audited and exported.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Stores Geographical Information.

Can be used to locate meters with Radix FW950

Ensures meter reader goes to meter.

Tracks meter readers using Google Earth.

Google Earth

Remote Mobile Service (RMS)

Downloads and uploads in the field using Radix FW950 with

integrated 3G card

Downloads and uploads from remote offices via wired ethernet

Ideal for remote sites

Regular updates from the field, checks meter readers progress

Reporting

Reports customisable

New reports easy to generate

Reports:

Activity

Productivity

Reading Summary

Route Trend

Confirms visit to meter

Allows visual confirmation of the reading

No-Access: proven by condition photograph

Forced Imaging rules are settable.

Imaging

Field Billing

Electricity Bill is printed on the customers premises.

Accelerates meter reading to billing cycle – Improved cash flow.

Customer can see reading on bill and confirm actual reading on

meter.

Reduces Queries

Improves Credibility

Rugged Radix FP400 Printer

Bill is water & fade resistant

Bluetooth communications

IP54

One moving part only

Field Billing Process

Billing System RMA.Net

Fieldworker

And Printer

Meter Reading

Route

Consumer

Account

Billing system provides

Meter reading and Account Data

RouteMaster.Net sequences and

Loads meter reading data Fieldworker is dispatched

Equiped with printer

Meter Route is visited

And readings captured

User Account is printed

On Site as meter reading

Is captured

Return data is uploaded

Accounts are flagged to

indicate if they were printed

in the field or not

Data is returned to the

Billing System for

processing

Typical Field Bill

FR

ON

T B

AC

K

Client – Server architecture

Utilises Microsoft SQL Server 2005 / 2008

Built using latest Visual Studio.Net Platform

Online automatic updates and service patches

Up to Windows 8 and X64 (64 Bit variants)

Architecture

Support

If enabled through your firewall:

Online support

Centralised settings repository

Remote update client

Direct Telephonic Support

Automatic Updates

RMA.Net stays up to date using Microsoft Update Services

Ensures Secure Communications

Ensures latest available version and patches

Summary of RMA.net Features

Latest supported Microsoft platform and Tools

Completely Scalable Enterprise Solution

Billing system independent Route Management

Modular expansion of web and communications abilities

SQL Server Based Security

WAN Communications (RMS)

Automatic Updates

GPS capable

Field Billing

C.A.T.’s Customer Base

34

WHY DO BUSINESS WITH CAT?

Reliable & Ultra Rugged Mobile Technology

CAT - Leader In Remote Data Collection

Reliable IT Engineering Company with Excellent Customer Service

with a Proven track record exceeding 20 years

Customer Partnership Focus: Technology

and Knowledge Transfer

System design to user requirements

Training and Skills Transfer

Peace Of Mind