ATLANTA — Nearly one-third of utilities with automated meter reading look to their AMR-equipped meters to collect energy usage information on a more frequent basis than monthly. And many more could, given that about 80% of utilities with automated meter reading (AMR) capabilities have at least some automated units that can or will provide interval data. Those are among the conclusions included in AMR by Customer Type, a new report from Chartwell Inc.
About 32% of utilities are looking to read AMR-enabled meters more than monthly, while 68% are using such meters for traditional monthly reads, according to the report. The data is based on Chartwell’s exclusive July-August 2002 survey of 115 utilities spanning 67.6 million meter points.
Utilities do appear to be taking different approaches to using AMR to provide data on more than a daily basis. Of those utilities with AMR, about 43% say all their automated meters can or will provide interval data, while 37% said some of their AMR-enabled meters can or will provide more than daily data, according to the report. About 21% of utilities with AMR do not have automated meters that can or will provide interval data.
Regulation requirements and demands from commercial and industrial customers are driving the need for interval data. Hourly, or even 15-minute data, is often used for load management programs and/or to help improve or maintain customer satisfaction. Indeed, the report also reveals that commercial/industrial AMR deployments continue to outpace residential installations, as expected. About 65% of commercial and industrial meters and 56% of residential meters will eventually be automated, according to the report.
The report also includes two case studies on how utilities are using AMR for various applications, including one that focuses on how a large, multi-service, investor-owned utility uses multiple technologies to read its large commercial and industrial meters.
AMR by Customer Type, which is available from Chartwell for $250, is part of The Chartwell Metering Research Series. Membership in the series is available for $2,495 annually.
For more information, call at 800.432.5879 or 404.237.9099, or visits Chartwell’s www.energylibrary.com and follow the appropriate links.
