AMI for Water Utilities What and Opportunity! · 2019-09-02 · AMI for water - What an opportunity! • Every electrical Utility in Canada is at some phase of AMI implementation

1Copyright © 2008 Elster Integrated Solutions 1

AMI for Water Utilities

What and Opportunity!

Feb 25, 2009

Name: Jack Robertson

Title ; Vice President

and General Manager

2Copyright © 2008 Elster Integrated Solutions

2

Overview

• Why do I want AMI

• How much is this going to cost

• The evolving issue for Canadian Water Utilities

• The Opportunity


Why would you want AMI?

• Most Water Utilities today use manual reading or some form of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR)

• Hand held device

• Drive by with computer or hand held

• Route Management software, integrated to CIS

• Direct read, customer mail in and AMR drive-by or walk-by all provide periodic reads

• Some newer AMR systems can provide additional information on tamper flags and in-premise leaks vs. direct read or mail in.

• Don’t know when the event happened

• AMR drive by can be used for district metering on a limited basis• Still requires labor – often at night

• Limited number of meters

• Is the data synchronized to a common clock?


AMR Considerations

• AMR delivers only marginally more information than a totally manual system, and information is after the fact

• Still have missed reads and estimates

• Move in move out reading costs still there

• Field labor still required


Why you want AMI

• AMI (automated Metering Infrastructure) provides the capability for meter information to be automatically retrieved on a frequent basis –daily, hourly, by the minute etc.

• A monthly or bi monthly reading has been sufficient until now – why do I need AMI?

• Increased value in water changes the business case around leakage, losses

• Green mentality around preserving resources

• Need to better manage costs going forward• Pumping costs may increase dramatically (Time sensitive electricity prices)

• Delay infrastructure build out

• Focus where it is needed

• Maximize revenues

• Improve cash flow

• Measurement Canada will cause new requirements?• Meter performance

• Data management


Things AMI Can do for you • Virtually eliminate estimates

• Better cash flow

• Satisfied customers

• Reduced Customer Service costs

• Eliminate Move in Move out reads• Major cost driver

• Detect leaks in customer homes when they happen• Notify customers before they get the big bill!

• Flow is often under meter’s resolution our outside accuracy range – lost revenue

• Detect burst pipes when they happen• Minimize loss and damages

• District Metering• Identify system losses

• Pinpoint major problems and prioritize them

• Minimize damage to infrastructure

• Enhanced Customer information• Provide information to customers on their consumption

• Improve CSR ability to handle complaints

• Revenue opportunity?


Things AMI Can do for you

• Manage Watering Restrictions• Now you can properly manage watering restrictions

• Penalize offenders

• Offer inclined block rates

• Manage Pumping Strategies• Pumping can be the major expense of a water Utility

• Time of Use Rates will impact when and how you pump

• You need to know when and how your customers use water

• Determine system performance parameters• Pressure sensitivity vs. flow patterns

• Optimize pressures

• Monitor Meter performance


How much is this going to cost?


Infrastructure - AMR vs. AMI

• AMR• Meter Radio Module

• Collection radio (hand held or drive by)

• Route software

• Integration to billing system

• AMI• Meter Radio Module

• Collection Radio –(Mesh or Towers)

• Head end software

• Meter Data Repository

• Integration to Billing

• Applications


Infrastructure - AMR vs. AMI

• AMR

• Personnel Impacts• Meter readers

• CSRs

• IT

• Hardware• Handheld readers

• Van

• Laptops

• AMI

• Personnel Impacts• CSRs

• System operators

• IT,IT, IT

• Communications

• Business Processes

• Hardware• Handheld readers

• Servers


Costs – AMI vs. AMR

• With today’s technologies, field devices for AMI are only marginally more expensive than AMR – this is the biggest cost driver

• AMI requires extra infrastructure to collect the data – these are either pole mounted, tower mounted, or can be the electricity meter

• AMI requires sophisticated head end systems, as well as softwareapplications to leverage the investment

• Meter Data Management Repository (MDMR)

• Web presentment

• Typically more complex billing/CIS integration

• The business cases for AMI in Water is very strong – many Utilities can justify investment even scrapping their existing AMR

• Electricity Smart Meter networks will soon span the country


Wide Area Network (WAN)

Fixed Network Topology

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Traditional topology

Gateway

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Star topology

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Tree topology

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RangeExtender Mesh topology

Fixed Network AMI Highlights:

MDM and other apps connected through enterprise service bus

Utility Operations

Utility Operations


The Opportunity For Water Utilities

• First the bad news• Electric Utilities are moving away from manual reading which may mean your costs

are going to go up

• Options for outsourcing manual meter reads are reducing

• Now the Good news

• Opportunities for out sourcing AMI are increasing• New Players establishing

• There is an opportunity to piggyback on your local electrical Utility• Reduced initial an operating costs

• Targeted implementation for rapid or staged deployment

• Simplified infrastructure

• Leveraging existing service agreements may be possible


EnergyAxis Architecture

WAN

Collector Level 1

Level 2Level 3

Level 3

Level 1Level 2

Level 1Level 2

Level 3

MDM and other apps connected through enterprise service bus

Utility Operations

Utility Operations


Piggy backing on the electric Utility leaves you with the following to manage;

Meters and radios


What does AMI cost

• AMI radios are more expensive than AMR radios by typically 30% to 50%.

• AMI radio installation similar to AMR radio

• More collectors may be needed by the Utility – marginal cost

• Service providers today offer daily AMI interval data cheaper than a single AMR read fro one data point (maybe)


AMI for water - What an opportunity!

• Every electrical Utility in Canada is at some phase of AMI implementation

• Most AMI electric systems do water AMI

• Many water Utilities have a relationship with the local electric Utility for reading and or billing already

• Leveraging and sharing the electric utility AMI and data processing infrastructure can save the electric utility money

• Water Utilities can save significant costs and data processing infrastructure

• The business case should be a simple case for an experienced consultant

• You are set for life……………….

18Copyright © 2008 Elster Integrated SolutionsCopyright © 2008 Elster Integrated Solutions 18

Thank-you

Documents

AMI for Water Utilities What and Opportunity! · 2019-09-02 · AMI for water - What an opportunity! • Every electrical Utility in Canada is at some phase of AMI implementation