ATLANTA _ Utilities should avoid "falling in love" with a technology and instead select technology best suited to corporate objectives and strategy. Those and other lessons are described in Developing AMR Business Cases: Getting the Most Out of RFIs, RFPs and Technology Investigations, the latest metering report from energy research leader Chartwell Inc.
Indeed, the report concludes that there is no "best" AMR communications technology. While several technologies have been proven in large deployments, utilities should make choices based on their specific needs, states the report. In other words, utilities should ask not "What’s the best technology?" but "What’s the best technology for OUR utility?"
Developing AMR Business Cases also includes:
• reasons for involving non-metering departments in business-case development;
• a list of departments that can participate in business-case development;
• strategies for developing apples-to-apples comparisons of technologies;
• strategies for selecting vendors;
• reasons for issuing or not issuing RFIs;
• ways to best utilize consultants; and
• much more regarding the AMR business case.
Developing AMR Business Cases includes full-length analysis and two case studies from utilities with more than one million customers. One case study describes the method a utility serving a million electric and gas customers used to evaluate the return-on-investment for specific AMR applications. A second case study describes how an Eastern electric utility serving millions of customers ensures effective communications with vendors during the request-for-proposal process.
Developing AMR Business Cases, part of Chartwell’s Metering Research Series, is available for $350. Chartwell’s Metering Research Series is the only unbiased and continuous research service devoted exclusively to the AMR industry. Annual series membership includes access to:
• more than 25 AMR-related reports;
• 10 new AMR-related reports released during the membership term each with at least two case studies;
• monthly intelligence reports on AMR trends and technologies; and
• past and current annual reports focusing on AMR surveys of 100-plus utilities.
Membership in The Metering Research Series is $2,995. For more information about Developing AMR Business Cases or The Chartwell Metering Research Series, please contact us at (800) 432-5879 or (404) 237-9099.
Press contact: Garrett Johnston, 404.237.9099, gjohnston@chartwellinc.com.
