Follow up to the ongoing 'Plan to Zero' articles:
- Plan to Zero
- Plan to Zero - Stop! Don't Do That!
- Plan to Zero - Nega-Watts!
- Plan to Zero - Baseload
- Plan to Zero - Made in the USA
- Plan to Zero - Do No Harm
- Plan to Zero - The electric super speed way
- Plan to Zero - Load Growth
- Plan to Zero - Get out of the Way
- Plan to Zero - Power to the People
- Plan to Zero - This means you!
Measure twice, cut once.
This week is DistribuTECH, the annual conference that was started around metering. The terms AMI and smart metering were both heard at D’Tech first.
As I walked the floor to and from our booth today, I saw all the usual names adorning booths. It set me to wondering – are we doing the right thing as we move to replace the generation of meters from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s? Some 20 to 30 million meters will be replaced in the next few years.
In 1995 when ENEL started Telestore, no one was thinking about electric vehicles, storage, or many solar installations. No they were thinking about not having to send someone to read meters and avoiding injuries and other issues with people. Generation 1 of AMI was a major upgrade to the traditional meter. Will generation 2 make that same jump?
Today it is not unusual to see 2 to 6 meters on the side of a house depending on tariffs and demand. With those meters come multiple secondary conductors in many cases and other costs.
Proponents say that they can use meter analytics and a single meter to solve the problem. But regulations required specific accuracy of measurement to be revenue grade, and the analytics are not that accurate.
Technically today meters have to each meet accuracy standards to bill. By 2035 most single family homes will have one or more electric vehicle, solar on the roof, storage at the premise, the goal of managing heating and cooling load, move hot water load, and if a pool exists move its load to a different time as well.
Lots of goals to control what someone does at their home.
Most utilities have different tariffs, rates, and riders – but the use is limited because most people have one measurement instrument.
Would it be better to have several measurement capabilities in a single meter with one communications and computing capability.
Would it not be better to wire from the meter to the parking locations, rather than upgrade the service panel?
Would it not be better to offer different rates to different uses?
To be able to untangle with confidence the uses of energy?
There is much value to unlock in the transition that current meters may not.
Do we change the regulations, or make a change to how we meter?