INTRODUCTION 'Smart' energy meters are the devices that can be monitored electronically by the energy company so they

do not need to be read in person. They also spell out precisely how much gas and electricity is being used, which should encourage householders to reduce consumption. Up to 3,000 smart meters will be installed over the next two years by the energy company EDF. Environment Minister Elliot Morley said: 'It's quite hard for consumers to relate their quarterly bills with individual actions around the house. By installing smart meters, I hope customers will be able to see better the real cost savings that can be made by taking Simple actions such unnecessary appliances. as switching off

GENERAL ENERGY THEFT PROCESSES Energy theft is part of a phenomenon known as non-technical losses (NTL) in electrical power systems. The most probable causes of NTL are: Electricity theft Non-payment by customers Errors in technical losses computation
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Errors in accounting and record keeping that distort technical information.

Electricity theft A conscious attempt by a person to reduce or eliminate the amount of money he or she will owe the utility for electric energy. This could include: Tampering with the meter Making unauthorized connections to the power grid Pilferage of power by the existing customers Bogus seals and tampering of seals Meter tampering Meter tilting Meter bypassing Using Magnets to slow down meter Totally bypassing the meter Bypassing at the terminal block Damaging the meter internal mechanism PREVENTION OF THEFTS Tamper proof Electronic meters. Smart energy meter. Wireless Technology.

CARD OPERATED PREPAID ENERGY METER -METER OF THE FUTURE

Initially the design was based on an imported card reading mechanism, which was also the major cost component. Subsequently, continuing our -R&D efforts, we -have replaced the imported card reader with a smart card socket and embedded the associated software in the microcontroller. This has resulted in considerable reduction in the size and the cost of the meter. BRIEF SPECIFICATIONS OF THE CARD OPERATED ENERGY METER PRODUCTS CONFIGURATION VOLTAGE BASIC CURRENT MAXIMUM ACCURACY
CURRENT CLASS

SINGLE-PHASE,

TWO-WIRE

240 VOLTS, 50HZ 5 AMPS 20 AMPS . 1%

OR BETTER

TYPES OF ENERGY METER

1.

2.

3. Electronic Single-phase Prepayment Watt-hour Meter is used to measure single-phase energy with 50/60Hz rated frequency, It realizes the functions of

prepayment management and load control that pay of energy first & use it afterwards . FUNCTION AND FEATURES

Full electronic measurement.

single-phase tamper

active &

energy fraud.

Protecting

against

Prepayment management system by use of IC card to commercialize energy so as to pay for it first & use it afterwards.

Scrolling display energy consuming information which is convenient for user. Warning when residual energy is deficient to remind users of purchasing energy in time. Large LCD screen display both cumulative energy & residual energy at the same time.

Delay trip at overload automatically. card adopting ISO standard IC card.

IC

Overdraft function can be set by overdraft card.

Adopting large-scale special IC with industrial class design & high accuracy. Special large capacity meter reading card with high accuracy.

One meter with one IC card which adopts special security measures to ensure the security and reliability of data.

CARD OPERATION

ISTECs Chip Card is a smart card equipped with a microprocessor-module with gold plated contacts. A single Chip Card can store information from as many as 50 different meters. By inserting the card into the meter's chip card port the current meter reading and meter identification numbers are updated and transferred onto the Chip Card. CHIP CARD READER

ISTECs Chip Card Reader transfers the Chip Card information into your computer. Now your
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computer contains up-to-date meter readings. You can use either a spreadsheet program (e.g. Microsoft Excel) or a word processing program (e.g. Microsoft Word) to process the information or to prepare billings for tenants. SMART WATER METER

The ISTEC Smart Water Meter is a water meter (hot or cold) with a liquid crystal display and a chip card port. The water meter measures the flow and shows the total on the 6-Digit liquid crystal display. By inserting the card into the meter, the meter reading is transferred to the chip card. The Smart Flow Meter features a modern, attractive design. The meters body is Nickel-plated and uses a union connection for easy installation. The meter is protected with seals to assure accurate reading and to prevent tampering. This meter can be installed either vertically or horizontally. The display can be rotated for added ease of reading. SMART BTU METER The ISTEC BTU Meter measures the energy in heating and cooling systems, and shows the BTUs used on the Liquid Crystal Display. The Smart BTU
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Meter is similar to the Smart Water Meter with attached platinum sensor probes. The total energy used is transferred to the Chip Card when the card is inserted into the meter. PULSE TO CARD CONVERTER

ISTECs Pulse to Card Converter allows any pulse meter (gas, electric, etc.) to be compatible with and part of the chip card system. The pulse total from any of those meters is shown on the 6digit liquid crystal display. Now you can read not only water usage, but also electricity, gas, etc. and have all the benefits of the ISTEC Chip Card System. ENERGY METARIFFING SPECIFICATIONS
Configuration AC voltage AC voltage range Frequency Switching of load Reload maximum Current Current range Accuracy class Single Phase 240 Volts 195 to 265 50 Hz +/- 5% Through a contactor of 35 Amps 20 Amps 0.5 Amps to 20 Amps Max. (5% to 200% lb) 2%

Standards Power supply VA rating Specifications of cards programmable

BIS 13010 Derived from mains 10 VA IC based Can be programmed to contain 1000 units (kwh) or equivalent money value in Rupees Accessed with a specific pass word,Immune to normal handling of temp. variations and moisture. Segment LED display upto 6 digits

ADVANTAGES Avoids reading of meters by meter readers and associated irregularities. Expenditure involved in tracking non-paying consumers and disconnection can be avoided. No disputes regarding the energy consumed between consumer and Electricity Board. Energy wastage and loss due to improper and unscrupulous meter reading gets avoided. Data regarding the energy demand for the next one month becomes available beforehand which may help to plan for the demand. The Board gets advance payment for the energy consumption which can be utilized fruitfully. This will also serve as a measure of energy conservation as the consumer can plan his energy consumption. This system may also help in improving the maintenance of the Meters as they can be installed indoors and consumer can read his consumption at any time. Elimination of bills and associated collection costs Registers and displays any currency value Load Limit (1 to 100amps), scalable for each consumer
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 Detailed reports with Fraud Detection Automatic Disconnection with programmable override facility. Emergency Credit facility. Two additional inputs for connection of Water, Gas or Heat meters etc. Remote Tariff upgrades via the Smartcard Debt Collection facility Multiple tariff options with Internal Time Switch CONCLUSION The monopolistic power distribution market in Asia is gradually transforming into a competitive marketplace. Differentiation in service is going to be the key competitive factor to improve market share in the deregulated power markets. Prepaid meters with their advantages over conventional ones are likely to help power distributors to differentiate and offer value-added services to consumers. Encouraging consumers to opt for prepaid meters on a voluntary basis and offering tariff or non-tariff incentives to those consumers who prepay their power charges, would help the utilities to implement this system. ******

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