March 24 th, 2004 © eMeter Corporation Larsh Johnson President, CTO eMeter Corporation Meter Information Management in the New Environment

March 24th, 2004

© eMeter Corporation

Larsh JohnsonPresident, CTOeMeter Corporation

Meter Information Management in the New Environment

2Confidential –- DATE, 2003

Presentation Outline

What’s different?

New role of metering

Metering Lifecycle: Then & Now

Advanced Metering Infrastructure – increasingly complex relationships

Meter Information – beyond usage data

Systems and Applications

Advanced metering systems architecture

Example: California’s State-wide Pricing Pilot

Summary


What’s different? A new environment for Metering

Several trends are changing the face of utility Metering and Meter Information

• Electronic meters – Increasing use of solid state electric meters makes new measurement parameters including power quality information available

• Communicating meters – have become more affordable and can provide data every day, every hourly or every few minutes

• Demand response programs – depend on metering support for advanced tariffs and driving frequency of data requirements

• Customer rate options – Some states requiring utilities to provide small customers with rate options as an alternative or supplement to retail competition

• Web Services – Utilities are implementing more and more online services to ease call center loads and improve customer services – key services such as electronic billing have led to providing end customers with access to their meter data and billing analysis applications

• New customer services – such as demand billing alerts, outage notifications, budget

billing, etc drive requirements for advanced metering

• Outsourcing – considerable interest in 3rd parties providing meter reading, maintaining meters, billing services, web services changes the information flow

• Deregulation/restructuring – continues to highlight to customers the value of

metering and online meter information and drives requirements for timeliness and quality


New role of metering

Was:• Registration of monthly

energy usage for billing purposes

Is or Will Be:• Registration of usage for billing

purposes

• Information resource for consumers

• Platform for outage and restoration event reporting

• Distribution asset management resource

• Foundation for demand response/rate choice programs

• Basis for new customer services

• Power quality & performance monitoring


Metering Lifecycle – Then and Now

Blanketorders

Commoditypurchase

Shop/TruckInventory

MeterInstall

MeterIn Service

MeterTest

RetireScrap

ComplexContracts

DetailedProduct

Procurement

Site-specificWork Order

MeterInstall

MeterIn Service

Requisitionfrom inventory

ProductConfiguration

NetworkActivation

NetworkConfiguration

VerifyProvisioning

DataCollection

TroubleReport

Meter TestRepair

/ReplaceCommunications

Test

ProductConfiguration

NetworkDe-Activation

RetireScrap

Was: relativelysimple commodityprocess

Is: highly tailored and configured process


Advanced Metering Infrastructure – Managing complex relationships

NetworkNetwork

User Name

Circuit

Meter

Network ModuleCarrier

Contact

Premise

Service Point

Account

Service Provider

Outage App

Billing App

Web App

Dist. AppDataCenter

Static and Dynamic relationships must be

maintained for meter data to be useful


Info Type Was Is

Measurements kWh, CT/PT and scaling, monthly cumulative readings

TOU schedules, interval size, demand configuration, kwh, kvarh, kvah, voltage, current, PF, PQ

Communications Manual read on monthly billing cycle

network type, network ID, read frequency, data to read, coverage, time to read, communications costs & performance, carrier/service provider, trouble contacts, activation/deactivation status,

Distribution network N/a Circuit identifier, outage/restoration events, load aggregation group, line voltage, outage statistics

Customer Account, Meter ID, Rate/Tariff, Contact name

account, rate/tariff, contact name, user ID/password, phone, email, contact history

Assets Bulk tracking of inventory and in-service assets

Serialized information with service history, configuration, ownership, communications type, etc,

Meter Services Meter install, read and test Communications service, data collection, user presentation, outage reporting, billing, distribution management,

Meter Information – beyond usage data


Application Current Issues

Meter Asset Management

No history, communications module info, service tracking, or serialized device tracking

CIS & Billing Limited contact and user info, monthly bill cycle only, little advanced tariff support

Remote Meter Data Collection (e.g. MV90)

Only interval data, no TOU/Demand readings, mostly billing cycle reads

Electronic Meter Reading (Handhelds)

Billing cycle reads only

Outage Management Network status from customer calls, no links to meter data systems

Field Work Management

No support for advanced meter trouble/maintenance work, field installation

Customer Energy Web Presentation

Point applications for certain customer classes, not a scalable solution

Load Research Sample size limited, no ad hoc sampling,

Load Management Point applications for certain customer classes, not a scalable solution

Distribution System Management

Limited use of load data, planning based on historical data

Gen

eral

ly n

o i

nte

gra

tio

n

Typical Systems and Applications


Multiple Technologies, Systems, Suppliers and Outsourcing

Not only are there significant new challenges in managing advanced meters with communications, but…

In most cases a utility will require multiple communications technologies, use two or more different systems and procure these through several suppliers.

For example: Selection of a specific solution depends on:• Service type – e.g. singlephase, polyphase, CT, PT, gas, water, etc. • Network coverage and communications availability• Consumer service and tariff requirements

In addition, many utilities are considering outsourcing all or part of these functions.

These new dimensions and options add significant complexity to the meter lifecycle management processes

No more one-size-fits-all with generic functionality…


Various CommunicationsNetworks

Internet

DataCollection

Adapter

DataValidation

Engine

Data Est.Engine

AMISystemsManager

CISAdapter

OutageEvent

Engine

BillingDeterm

Calculator

WMSAdapter

OutageAdapter

CustomerWeb AppAdapter

Metered UsageData Repository

AMIManagement

DatabaseData

CollectionAdapter

CISERPWMS Web site OMS

WebServices

ReportGenerator

CSRMeterTech

Proj. Mgr

DataCollection

Adapter

Meter DataCollection

Server


Server


Server

Install Mgr

AssetMgmt

Adapter

Meter Information Systems Architecture – Must Haves

Relationships maintained in

AMI data model

Multiple technology

support

Web-based access utility &

3rd party

Support for legacy systems

integration

Generalized access to usage

database


Program Management: California Statewide Pricing Pilot (SPP) project

Process• Target customers – multiple customers on one of

four rates, info only, TOU, Critical Peak Fixed, Critical Peak Variable

• Contact and begin enrollment – verify contact info, phone customers, get initial acceptance, send enrollment package, capture all contact history

• Install & activate meter – confirm network coverage, schedule installation, install and activate meter

• Provide Educational materials – mail materials to enrolled customers

• Verify notification info –verify phone number for automated outbound notification process

• Generate savings estimate – provide customers with estimated savings based on prior billing data

• Generate billing summary – provide each customer with unique bill summary showing usage in each rate period

• Conduct survey – follow-up surveys performed to gauge customer reaction to the rate

• Evaluate customer response – use metered load data determine customer response to pricing signals, use customer surveys to determine reactions

$-

$0.10

$0.20

$0.30

$0.40

$0.50

$0.60

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Pri

ce

per

kWh

Objective: Determine residential and small commercial customer responsiveness to price signals

Requirements: Track and manage all processes and capture data for program analysis.


Supporting Information Platform

POTS

Various CommunicationsNetworks

Internet

AMISystemsManager

CISAdapter

WMSAdapter

EventAdapter

MeteredUsage DataRepository

AMIManagement

Database

CIS/Billing WMS

WebServices

ReportGenerator

CSRsMeterTech

Proj. Mgr


Server


Server


Server

AssetMgmt

Adapter

EnrollmentContractors

AdvancedBilling

Consumers

NotificationService

ConsumerTelephone

CISAdapterCIS

AdapterDataCollectionAdapter

DataValidation

Engine

BillSummaryRendering

Outsourced AMI Mgmt, Meter Data Collection and Notification Services

Multiple Meter Data Collection Technologies –

phone & wireless

Interval data – to consumer web site,

to billing, to research team

Customer, meter, enrollment,

contact, installation and

status info

Interfaces to CIS, Billing, Notification

Systems

Web access for utility,

contractors, consumers


Pilot Project Process Management

Process and status trackingHistory retainedCross-functional coordinationWeb access


Customer Information – Billing Summary

• Metered usage data collected daily

• Billing Cycle maintained

• Pre-processing of usage data generates billing determinants

• Bill computation, taxes, surcharges added

• Billing information provided to rendering engine to generate billing summary pages

• .PDF rendered and posted to web site for customer viewing

• Billing summary mailed to customer on billing cycle


Customer Information – Web site

Web servicesView interval usage dataView billing summariesView/update notification infoDownload education materialsLinks to related information

Future – online survey forms


Project Results – 2003

CPUC Pilot Program Ordered March 13, 2003

Customer Enrollment completed in 2 months

~900 meters installed in under 3 months

Systems confirm readiness for Go Live July 1, 2003

First Critical Peak Event called July 17th, 2003

>94% notification success

Satisfaction:

88% of participants would recommend program be offered to other customers

Peak Demand - Treatment vs. Control Customers

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

CPP-All Customers TOU-All Customers CPP-Smart Thermostat,Central A/C

Rate Type

Pea

k d

eman

d (

kW p

er c

ust

om

er)

Control

Treatment20% less

49% less

24% less


Summary

• Metering and Information services no longer “one size fits all”

• Customer interactivity with time-based tariffs drives new relationships

• Today’s systems are typically “silos” and not integrated

• Multiple technologies further complicate this

• Outsourcing adds another wrinkle – additional systems interfaces

• Carefully consider the new processes and systems involved in demand response, rate option, and metering programs

• Plan for this new environment – don’t assume traditional models

• Build flexible processes and systems – more change not less

• Consider managing an Advanced Metering Infrastructure a new challenge, not a tweak to existing processes and systems

Documents

March 24 th, 2004 © eMeter Corporation Larsh Johnson President, CTO eMeter Corporation Meter Information Management in the New Environment