When Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) started being installed in the 1990s the focus was on billing. Everything else was extra, and so no consideration for costs for those extras were given in most utilities. Mech networks were fast enough and good enough for billing, so why spring for anything more expensive? Memory and processing power were good enough for billing, so why do more? Latching relays (disconnect) would last for 100 uses, good enough for dealing with people not paying their bill, so why spend more.
Many of the improvements that could be made were not required for billing, so they were not made, but the utility and the regulator were guilty of this mentality. When it was all said and done more than 60% of the benefits from AMI were never met, based on reports from EPRI. In many cases, on a $300 installed meter the difference in cost for the more functional meter was under $15 dollars.
Time has added processing capability and encryption ability to AMI meters, but most of the next generation AMI systems are still mesh, and they lack a higher quality latching relay. Instead of fixing the communications issues, moving processing to the meter is now in vogue. This still does not fix the issue with getting most of the meters to report outages.
Should we take a wider view of what AMI should be? Including what customers need beyond an accurate bill?
Should we look at the meter as a potential way to avoid expensive upgrades to service panels and premise rewiring?
Should we anticipate the need to support FERC-2222 (in the US)?
Should we build in demand limiting capability to avoid rolling blackouts?
Should we build faster networks into the overall design?
Should we factor power quality into the meter?
Should we build in near real time communications to customers, both for readings and real time pricing?
What else should we factor in, to provide the benefits for customers, and the utility?
Remember this is a minimum 20 year asset that is being deployed.
Doug Houseman
Expert Member
Top Contributor
Should we be thinking differently about AMI and the customer edge?
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