Smart Metering Management

Utility meters for water, gas and electricity are everywhere. There are many benefits to having the meters communicate between end-user meters and utilities companies. By adding a Narrowband IoT device to the utility meter you can make them smart and enable two-way communication. Utility meters are static, which makes Narrowband IoT the perfect connectivity option to fit this use-case. It’s lower power consumption combined with deep indoor penetration make smart metering a true NB-IoT application.

What are Smart Meters?

Smart meters are IoT-Enabled devices that measure data from utility meters. It can range from water consumption for the water meter or voltage levels, current, and power factor on electricity meters. 

For consumers it provides insights to their consumption behaviour. While for utility suppliers, it helps monitoring their systems and more accurate customer billing. 

Smart meters record energy consumption and report regularly in short intervals throughout the day. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system. Such an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two-way communication between the meter and the supplier. The older AMR systems required a person to get nearby a meter to capture the data.

Smart meters can be installed from as a stand-alone device or as replacement meters. By installing a IoT device you can make old meters smart without replacing the whole metering system. A smart meter can give you information about your consumption and provide accurate bill estimates.

Should I get a Smart Meter?

Value proposition of Smart Metering

Moving to a more sustainable world. Smart utility meters can help save resources. Smart metering could save money for the everyday users by making them instantly aware of their usage. Utility companies can benefit by improving processes. The benefits are numerous:

1. Homeowners don’t have to report meter readings anymore. 

2. Utility companies now have access to all utility meter readings daily.

3. There is no need for correcting incorrect meter readings 

4. It reduces the manual work. 

5. Saves money for utility companies because it doesn’t need that much of a human resource. 

How do smart meters work?

Smart meters essentially are called smart because they enable two-way communication, can communicate with other devices such as smart appliances and household equipment and can be remotely monitored and controlled by the distribution service operator (DSO). DSO is the utility provider that provides certain services.

Smart meters can measure both the amount of utilities that is consumed as the amount of utilities that is injected into the network. The data is sent at regular intervals to distribution network operators who, among others, use it to map consumption peaks and gain insights, while passing it on to the utility supplier for invoicing purposes. One of the promises of smart meters is a more precise measurement and invoicing, often also in combination with dynamic pricing.

1. Smart Water meter 

IoT-enabled water meter management solutions use sensors to monitor water usage, identify leaks, save water usage, and reduce utility and city operating costs. The smart water meter measures the water consumption and the temperature in the system and works with IoT-enabled sensors that update regularly. Utility companies can monitor those meters remotely, eliminating the need for manual work.

2. Smart Electricity meter 

IoT-enabled electricity smart meters use sensors to track the electricity usage, making sure you get an accurate electricity bill. Smart electricity meters cut the need for manually sending estimated meter readings and ensure you get the right bills for the used amount. Retailers are also increasingly introducing hourly rates, where electricity rates vary by time of day. If you have a smart meter, you can schedule it when electricity costs are low, such as in a dishwasher or washing machine. The meter accurately will track usage during these low-cost times.

3. Smart Gas meter 

Smart gas meters are battery-powered and most often in a "sleep" state. It starts frequently and sends the readings via a smart meter. A smart meter measures your gas use, just like a traditional meter. But unlike a traditional meter, a smart meter sends its readings to your supplier automatically. Once your smart meters are being installed, you don't need to read your gas meters any more. It’ll have all the needed information to produce accurate bills. It can also send frequent updates if any gas leaks or other problems come in.

Key Benefits of NB-IoT enabled Smart Metering systems

Smart metering is an application that can benefit from Narrowband IoT. It’s static, requires deep penetration inside buildings and only sends small amounts of data per interval. The benefits for homeowners and utility companies are clear. It’s a great asset for utility companies, since it provides the much needed data to improve their business processes. Besides the operational processes, more departments of a utility company can benefit. Regular meter updates mean that financial figures and infrastructure capacity is being forecasted. The low-cost nature of NB-IoT makes the smart metering use-case now a viable business practice.

1. Indoor penetration - Reach meters that are hidden in buildings

2. Small data packets - Low data consumption can make pricing attractive for an otherwise low-margin business case.

3. Long battery life - Prevent having to rely on external power without the need to replace batteries.

4. Low cost chip sets - The simple design of NB-IoT chipsets make it affordable to install an NB-IoT device on each utility meter.
   

NB-IoT Smart Metering FAQs