>>> Automatic Energy meter <<<

A
Project Report
submitted
in partial fulfilment
for the award of the Degree of
Bachelor of Technology
In VIIth semester in Department of Electrical Engineering

by
Manikant lakshkar
16E1JGEEM30P009
Under the supervision of
Aniva Sharma
(HOD of EE Department)

JNIT
Department of Electrical Engineering

Jagannath Gupta Institute of

Engineering & Technology
Jaipur

August 2019
ANNEXURE - 1

Candidate Declaration

I,Manikant Lakshkar hereby declare that the work presented in this

report entitled “ Automatic Energy Meter ” in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the award of Degree of Bachelor of Technology,
submitted in the Department of Electrical Engineering at
Jagannath Gupta institute of Engineering & technoloogy , Jaipur,
is an authentic record of my own work under the supervision of a
Aniva sharma(HOD of EE Department)

I also declare that the work embodied in the present project report is
my original work/extension of the existing work and has not been
copied from any Journal/thesis/book, and has not been submitted by
me for any other Degree/Diploma.

(Manikant lakshkar)

Enrolment No16E1JGEEM30P009

Date:- August 2019

ANNEXURE – II

Certificate of the Supervisor(s)

This is to certify that the project report entitled “Automatic Energy

Meter”submitted by Manikant Lakshkar for the award of Degree of
Bachelor of Technology in the Department of Electrical Engineering
of Jagannath Gupta institute of Engineering & Technology, Jaipur, is a
record of authentic work carried out by him/her under my/our
supervision.

The matter embodied in this project report is the original work of the
candidate and has not been submitted for the award of any other degree
or diploma. It is further certified that he/she has worked with me/us for
the required period in the Department of Electrical Engineering of
Jagannath Gupta institute of Engineering & Technology, Jaipur.

(Aniva Sharma)

Date: - August 2019

 Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my project guide

“ANIVA SHARMA” for giving me the opportunity to work on
this topic. It would never be possible for us to take this project to
this level without his innovative ideas and his relentless support
and encouragement.

August 2019
 Abstract

AMR (Automatic Meter Reading ) is the modern Power measuring

device .it is being used in measuring electricity , gas , water
consumption in many countries on the world since it has a lot of
advantages that the old analog Meters doesn’t have .
It has advantages in safety; real time measuring and time save as
well as it has a better user interface and digital data analysis.
AMR appears in several types depends on measured data type and
data transfer technologies. We can say that AMR is the best solution
to measure, collect and analyze data for the Mega networks like the
electricity transmission and distribution network in India.

Keywords: AMR,AMI.
 CONTENTS
1. History.
2. Introduction.
Objectives and motivation.
3. What is automatic meter reading?
AMR?
AMR Background.
AMR solutions.
Components of AMR.
Meter interface module.
Communications systems.
Master Location Monitoring System.
4. Types and operation of AMR.
GSM Based AMRS.
Zigbee Based AMRS.
AMRS Using SCADA System.
AMRS using Power Line Communication.
AMRS using WiMAX Technology.
Mixed Type.
5. Smart meter in india.
Smart Meter National Programme.
6. Internationally use of AMR at present.
7. Technologies.
AMR Hosting:-
Touch technology.
Radio frequency network.
Handheld.
Mobile.
Satellite.
RF technologies commonly used for AMR.
Wi-Fi.
Power line communication..
8. Advanced AMR And AMI.
9. Benefits of advance metering.
10. 4 reasons why smart meters are the future of energy efficiency:-
An energy saving opportunity.
The end of estimated energy bills.
Switching energy supplier will be easier than ever
before.
Increased control of energy usage.
11. Pros and cons of smart electric meters.
Advantage for consumers of AMR.
Disadvantage for consumers of AMR.
Disadvantage are short term.
12. Advantage and disadvantage of AMR:-
Advantage of AMR.
Disadvantage of AMR.
13. Referance.
 1. HISTORY
Over the past years electric energy meters have undergone
phenomenal changes and are expected to become even more
sophisticated, offering more and more services.
In 1886 , the first ac transmission line was installed . Since this age
, it was very important to measure the energy that consumers pay
for . Hence , the first generation of power meters was found which
we know as (Watt-Hour meter ).
As most of us know , the first generation(traditional meter reading
devices ) is being used tell now in many places .It has a lot of
disadvantages that we will mention later .
To overcome this disadvantages we have to modify a new reading
system that provides remote reading , safety , on-time readings
and a simple user interface . That is what AMR provides
successfully .
Power consumption reading and analysis using AMR has a lot of
benefits which we will discuss in this papers .This benefits make it
clear that this system will be used in most of the regions of the
world in the next few years .
The first AMR system was created on 1974 on USA by Mr.
Paraskevakos who used a technology developed on 1972 by
Theodore George.
 2. INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVES AND MOTIVATION:-

Electricity is one of the vital requirement for sustainment of comforts

of life. IT should be used very judiciously for its proper utilization.
But in our country we have lot of localities where we have surplus
supply for the electricity while many areas do not even have access
to it. Our policies of its distribution are also partially responsible for
this because we are still not able to correctly estimate our exact
requirements and still power theft is prevailing.
On the other hand consumers are also not satisfied with the services
of power companies. Most of the time they have complaints
regarding statistical errors in their monthly bills.
Thus we are trying to present an idea towards the minimization of
technical errors and to reduce human dependency at the same time.
With the help of this project we are aiming to receive the monthly
energy consumption from a remote location directly to a centralized
office.
In this way we can reduce human efforts needed to record the meter
readings which are till now recorded by visiting every home
individually.
This results in considerable loss of human hours and also provides
considerable details regarding the average consumption of a locality
so that power supply can be made according to these data.
This will help the officials in deciding the specifications of
transformers and other instruments required in power transmission.

This idea is economically efficient as well because we can get the

meter reading at a very low cost. The implementation is done in such
a way that a SMS is delivered to the Modem whose reading is to be
noted and then that meter replies to the server in the SMS format and
it is known that SMS costs are very low.
The purpose of this project is to remote monitoring and control of the
Domestic Energy meter. This system enables the Electricity
Department to read the meter readings regularly without the person
visiting each house.

This can be achieved by the use of Microcontroller unit that

continuously monitors and records.

The Energy Meter readings in its permanent (non-volatile) memory

location. This system also makes use of a GSM modem or remote
monitoring and control of Energy Meter.

The Microcontroller based system continuously records the readings

and the live meter reading can be sent to the Electricity department
on request. This system also can be used to disconnect the power
supply to the house in case of non-payment of electricity bills. A
dedicated GSM modem with SIM card is required 1or each energy
meter.

The GSM AMR takes the advantage of available GSM infrastructure

nationwide coverage and the Short Messaging System (SMS) cell
broadcasting feature to request and retrieve individual houses and
building power consumption reading back to the energy provider
wirelessly.
The Store and Forwarding feature of SMS allow reliable meter
reading delivery when GSM signal is affected by the poor weather
conditions. The stored message is archive in the mobile operator and
can be later retrieve for billing purposes.
 3. WHAT IS AUTOMATIC
METER READING (AMR)?
AUTOMATIC METER READING (AMR) FOR
METERS AND SUB-METERS FOR ENERGY
MANAGEMENT IN COMMERCIAL & UTILITY
APPLICATIONS.

Automatic meter reading (AMR) is the technology of automatically

collecting consumption, diagnostic, and status data from water
meter or energy metering devices (gas, electric) and transferring that
data to a central database for billing, troubleshooting, and analyzing.
This technology mainly saves utility providers the expense of
periodic trips to each physical location to read a meter. Another
advantage is that billing can be based on near real-time consumption
rather than on estimates based on past or predicted consumption. This
timely information coupled with analysis can help both utility
providers and
customer’s better control the use and production of electric energy,
gas usage, or water consumption.

Automatic meter system for building and utility sector.

Today with the cost of Electricity soaring high industries are trying
all the means to save it by deploying good or malpractice. Of all the
means theft of electricity is a major one that is nagging the
profitability of the Electricity Boards and the consumer. The need of
time is to keep track of the electricity usage. Gloabtel has developed
Automatic Monitoring Reading system (AMR) for this specific
purpose, which takes steps in reducing consumption through a
remote management Automatic Meter Reading (AMR It
can also used for monitoring oil, gas and water pipelines).

Automatic Meter Reading Background.

The traditional utility meter

displays energy usage as an
accumulation of counts
(KWH) presented to a
display, which is used to
calculate the monthly bill.
It has applications within the electricity, gas and water utility
industries for domestic, commercial and industrial applications. Sub
metering is often used within a building, retail or industrial facility
where it is desirable to measure power consumption for specific
equipment, locations or sub-level accounts.
Reducing losses and waste, and adopting power efficient products
and technology can achieve this utilizing by remote management.
Predicting energy usage remains a key issue in an industry or
Utility sector where downtime is unacceptable. However, since
power losses are not easy to identify, it is difficu lt to determine the
key culprits whether they are human users or power -hungry
devices. In many cases it is difficult to store energy e.g. electricity,
which must be generated to fulfill immediate demand. Predicting
usage remains a key issue in an industry where downtime is
unacceptable, which is made difficult by slow access to the remote
meter readings.
 Automatic Meter Reading Solutions:
Automatic Meter Reading called "smart metering" can be as simple
as a central application that polls the remote utility meter using
protocols such as MODBUS, IEC 1107. Pulse or the RS 485
outputs from the meter can be monitored externally as part of wider
monitoring solution where reducing energy usage is key. A wider
smart metering monitoring system determines usage over time,
identifies peaks, compares sites and correlates use with offending
devices and people.

Communication solution example - Automatic Meter

Reading
It offer communication solutions from simple GSM/PSTN modems
through to Centralized Data Monitoring systems suited at master
location, where it’s collecting data from individual consumer meter
for monitoring and billing purpose. The entire consumer meters are
loop together with the help of hard wire to Smart Metering unit
where it’s collecting data from all connected consumer meters.

Figure shows typical installation diagram of AMR system.

 Components of Automatic meter reading:-

1. Meter interface module: Smart Metering consist of meter interface

module with power supply, Battery backup and required controlling
module and a communication interface that allows data to be
transmitted from this remote device to a central location. In many
instances, this communication interface is bi-directional and allows
central office signals to be received by the remote unit as well.
Every electric, gas or water meter must have such an interface unit
to be remotely read. Some key components of the Smart Metering
device may be shared by more than one meter without regard for the
type of meter; i.e..,electric, gas or water.

2. Communications systems: This used for the transmission of data

and control send signals between the meter interface units and the
central office. Typically, such communications take the form of
telephone, radio frequency (RF), GSM, and over hard wire cable.
The system components in the communications
system depend on the communication media used.

3. Central office or Master Location Monitoring System: These

systems include communication modems which work as a Tran
receivers, computer. Many utilities have for some time been taking
advantage of electronic meter reading systems using hand-held data
terminals that communicate with a central controller via phone lines.
There is great similarity between the host side electronic meter
reading and automatic meter reading system function.
 4. TYPES AND OPRATION OF AMR
1. GSM Based AMRS:-Among the various implementations of
Automated Meter Reading System the main modules that make
difference are the Automated Meter Reading Module and the
Communication Module. The following systems consider the GSM
Network for Communication purposes. GSM network provides a
global coverage across countries thus enabling communication to
every nook and corner without the need to implement a new
communication infrastructure solely for this purpose. Apart from
seamless coverage the GSM technology also provides services like
SMS (Short Message Service) and GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service) for requesting and retrieving reading from individual houses
back to the energy provider wirelessly. Moreover the GSM network
is a more efficient, reliable and secure communication standard that
is being widely used for more than several years now without any
technical issues. The low cost, simple setup, wide operating distance,
less human intervention are some of the other salient features of this
GSM based system. One of the implementations of this system has a
GSM modem and a P2C (Power to Communication) interface card
installed inside it and is interfaced externally through RS232 from
which the meter readings are obtained. This method suggests the
tampering of the existing energy meter and integrating a P2C
interface card to it, however the tampering of the energy meter is
against the government law in most countries and could be
implemented widely if and only if the existing meters where replaced
by the government. The SMS system is used for requesting and
retrieving energy meter readings from every house at anytime and
even for cutting off the electricity connection if the bill remains
unpaid. The user is also intimated, given feedback and able to check
the status of his meter from anywhere in the world by using the SMS
system [1][2].Another implementation of the AMRS as shown in
Fig.1 is very much similar to our previous system but for it includes
a RTC (Real Time Clock) for round the clock time stamping even on
power failure (powered by a 3V CMOS Battery) and EEPROM to
store readings history. It also has a PC with GSM Receiver at the
 energy provider end that acts as the billing point. AT commands set
which stands for attention terminal are used by energy meter to
communicate with the GSM Modem. Both of these systems provide
E-Commerce features like billing, printing, etc and an interface to
view and analyze the history of all billings.

Fig. 1 Detailed Design Blocks.

2. Zigbee Based AMRS: -ZigBee is a collection of communication

protocols used to build small personal networks using low power
digital radios. and is based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The range of an
average ZigBee based device is restricted to 10 - 100 meters and can be
further extended using a mesh network of ZigBee devices. The low
cost allows the technology to be widely deployed in wireless control
and monitoring applications.
 Fig. 2 Structure diagram of WAMRS.

ZigBee was designed to provide high data throughput in

applications where the duty cycle is low and low power
consumption is an important consideration. The rate of ZigBee is
definite with 250 kbit/s, best suited for intermittent data
transmissions from a sensor or input device[14]. The structure of
WAMRS using ZigBee is shown in Figure 2. ZigBee digital power
meter is installed in every consumer unit and an electricity e-billing
system at the energy provider side. The ZigBee digital power meter
is a single phase digital kWh power meter with embedded ZigBee
modem which sends the power usage reading using information
back to the energy provider wirelessly. At the power provider side
 an e-billing system is used to manage all received meter reading,
compute the billing cost, update the data base and to be published
billing notification to its respective consumer through wireless.
Another way of using ZigBee in automated meter reading system is
a system that consists of control terminal, GPRS module and user
metering module. ZigBee network is for short distance
communication, and GPRS is networks for remote communication.
Clustering structure is used to reduce the redundancy in data
transmission. The software is designed with the aim of saving
energy with every communication protocol. ZigBee devices are
cheap, easy to operate and consumes less energy but they are
extremely limited in resources including processing, memory, and
power. They also have a short operating range.

3. AMRS Using SCADA System:-SCADA (Supervisory Control and

Data Acquisition) is a system operating with coded signals over
communication channels so as to provide control of remote
equipment. It is a category of software application program for
process control, the gathering of data in real time from remote
locations in order to control equipments. SCADA refers to the
combination of telemetry and data acquisition. SCADA includes the
collecting of the information via a RTU (remote terminal unit),
PLCs (programmable logic controllers) and IEDs (intelligent
electronic devices), transferring it back to the central site, carrying
out any necessary analysis and control and then displaying that
information on a number of operator screens or displays. The D-
SCADA control algorithm and distribution security monitoring is
demonstrated in Fig 3.
Fig. 3 AMR based distribution security monitoring and D-
SCADA control algorithm.
 A system using SCADA isolates and precisely locates faults and
optimize for energy saving. Centralized monitoring and control to
manage multiple facilities from a single location and remote software
administration for better control is possible. Systems using SCADA
are prone to network attacks[6].

4. AMRS using Power Line Communication:.Power Line

Communication Systems use the existing power cables as a
communication medium. This ultimately allows us to both control
the devices remotely and also retrieve data from it in a half duplex
manner [15]. PLC is like any other communication technology
whereby a sender modulates the data to be sent, injects it onto
medium, and the receiver de-modulates the data to read it. The main
advantage of PLC is that the existing wiring can be re-used. Thus
Power Line Communication can be used to transfer meter readings
data to the central servers along with the use of GSM/GPRS. The
data from every meter is collected using PLC. This data is then
transferred to a central server using GPRS connectivity. The server
in turn feeds the data to service provider’s billing servers thus
creating a totally automated and reliable measurement and billing
infrastructure. Value added services can be used to send alerts for
prepaid users, SMS facility to switch off gas supply, alerts on gas
leak detection and automatic switching off gas supply, credit card
payment facility. The communication between concentrator and
collectors is done using Power Line Carrier(PLC) as shown in Fig 4.
A collector is used to store and process the data from different
electric meters with the supervision of the concentrator. A
concentrator sends commands to collector to receive meter readings
periodically.
The two major factors causing PLC meter readings unstable are the
electric network signal attenuation and random interference. Because
of the attenuation, wave carrier reading system cannot read meters
reliably if there isn’t any relay or anti-attenuation techniques. The
existence of random interference equals to increasing the attenuation
of the electric network and decreasing the receiving sensitivity, if the
sensitivity of the meter reading device is constant. This affects the
meter reading system severely. A system using PLC can make use of
existing electrical wires and has a better communication range than
wireless communication. PLC is easy to install and maintain. It
cannot consistently read the data. The long term interference on the
electric network causes the household appliances to over-heat, motor
output decreasing etc[7].

Fig 4.Block Diagram of AMRS Using Power Line

Communication.
5. AMRS using WiMAX Technology:-WiMAX (Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless
communications standard designed to provide 30 to 40 megabit-per-
second data rates. WiMAX supports mobile, nomadic and fixed
wireless applications. WiMAX brings with it the ability to transmit
over far greater distances and to handle much more data. The reading
unit identifies the disk rotation of the energy meter and the data is
stored in a microcontroller. So it is not required to change the current
analog energy meter. An external module is added with the current
energy meter. In the communication unit WiMAX transceiver is used
for wireless communication between meter end and the server end
because of its wide coverage area. In the data receiving and
processing unit meter reading is collected from the transceiver which
is controlled by another microcontroller. There is a computer
application that will take the data from the microcontroller. This will
also help to avoid any tampering or break down of energy meter. The
conceptual diagram of the proposed system in shown in Fig 5.This
system is cheap, flexible and supports high speed data transfer over
long distances. WiMAX has security vulnerabilities in both PHY and
MAC layers, exposing to various classes of wireless attack including
interception, fabrication, modification, and replay attacks. Weather
conditions like rain could interrupt the signal. Other wireless
equipment could cause interference [8].

Fig. 5 Conceptual Diagram of proposed AMR.

6. Mixed Type :-The following system automates the meter reading

process by capturing images of the Energy meter and transferring
them to Customers using ZigBee technology. It generates the bill
and sends the current reading and previous meter reading as a SMS
to the customer. Matlab is used to process the image and get the
digits out.C328R serial VGA Camera is placed in front of the energy
meter to capture images which is transferred to the server where the
characters and numbers are recognized. This also avoids tampering
of energy meter. For extraction of digits from the whole image only
the digits plate is cropped. It undergoes preprocessing such as RGB
to grey, B/W image & then each digits are segmented. After this,
each digit undergoes the process of grid technique to find the value
of this digit with previously stored digits in database & numbers are
recognized easily. This reading gives the current meter reading. Use
of Matlab renders the system costly. The system consumes less
power but has a short range and low data speed.

Fig. 6 Network Structure.

The following provides two variants of the automatic meter reading

system using ZigBee and GSM: 1.PIC Microcontroller to count the
pulses generated by the metering IC.2.Wireless Sensor
Networks(WSN) to detect, process and store sensor output.
In the first system, the metering IC creates the output in the form of
pulses which are counted using the default timer of PIC
microcontroller unit. A TTL inverter circuit is used to reverse the
produced pulse before applying to the counter. The PIC
microcontroller is programmed using software interfacing for
reading the data from the metering IC. The technology used to send
data to the Base station is ZigBee which in turn uses GSM modem
to communicate with Main EB Station.[10]
In the second system, the sensor network consists of multiple
detection stations called sensor nodes (contains transducer,
microcomputer, transceiver), each of which is small, lightweight and
portable. The transducer generates electrical signals based on sensed
physical effects and phenomena. The microcomputer processes and
stores the sensor output. The transceiver receives commands from a
central computer and transmits data to that computer. Finally all the
data is sent to the main station that broadcast messages of bills of
individual houses, due dates for payments, confirmation of bill
payments.
WSN eliminate a lot of wiring which is not in the case of PIC
microcontroller which requires a lot of wires. Wireless Sensor
Networks are very expensive compared to PIC’s. WSN is not
secure. On the other hand, there is no major security concern in
PIC.PIC have more complex architecture compared to WSN.[11]
The automation of meter reading is achieved using GSM and ARM
Controller. The system uses ARM processor to process the input
data, compute the bill and UART for data exchange with GSM
modem. It consists of energy measuring unit for tamper detection,
relay control unit for remote switching of the system, wireless
communication module for data transmission and utility control
center at the server side to collect data, process and send SMS to
customer. The system reads the input pulses and after counting
specific number of pulses it increments the internal counter by one
which indicates the number of units consumed. ARM controller
sends the no of units to the UART, which is then sent to the GSM
Modem. The GSM modem sends this data to the service provider
using SMS. User’s supply can be disconnected remotely in case of
unpaid bills. Data collection and manipulation task is made fast and
easier.[12]
The final system under mixed type consists of a remote control
terminal, a GPRS module and a user metering module. .User meter
reading module consists of three parts namely intelligent instrument
data acquisition module, data storage and data transfer module. The
data collected is buffered and sent to the remote terminal through
wireless network. The network structure of remote AMRS in shown
in Fig 6.The function of communication of GPRS module in short
distance uses the CC2430 chip and remote communications uses
SIM300 chip. To reduce the redundancy in data transmission,
clustering structure is used. ZigBee network is used for short
distance communication, and GPRS is used for remote
communication. They can combine with each other, through the
network’s gateway to achieve a user meter copying to control and
transfer in distance. This software is designed with the aim of saving
energy with every communication protocol. This system is
inexpensive, works with water, electricity and gas meters and is
greatly secure. The capacity of the buffer area of data, affect the
quality of sending and receiving. It does not support remote
termination of the supply[14].
5. SMART METER IN INDIA
The programme was aimed at
retrofitting conventional meters
with smart variants to improve
billing efficiency.
Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL) has installed
over 5 lakh smart meters in
Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana,
Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
These meters have been
distributed under the Smart
Meter National Programme
(SMNP). The smart meters
operational in these states aim to
enhance consumer convenience
and rationalise electricity
consumption, an EESL
statement said.
The Smart Meter National
Programme that aims to retrofit
25 crore conventional meters
with smart variants will lead to 80-100 per cent improvement in
billing efficiency.
These smart meters are installed as per guidelines issued by the
Central Electricity Authority. Smart meters are part of the overall
Advanced Metering Infrastructure solution (AMI) that measures and
records consumers’ electricity usage at different times of the day and
sends this information to the energy supplier through GPRS
technology, EESL said.
This gives consumers better access to information and enables them
to make more informed decisions on the use of electricity in their
homes. This can immediately control AT&C losses, due to power
pilferage, bypassing meters, defective meters, or errors in meter
reading. Every kilowatt of power drawn from the grid is thus
accounted for – and billed, thereby reviving DISCOM revenues,
EESL added.
EESL recovers the cost of these meters through the monetisation of
energy savings, resulting from enhanced billing accuracy, avoided
meter reading costs and other efficiencies.

Smart Meter National Programme :-With electricity

demand expected to rise by 79 percent in the next 10 years, India is
on a path of transforming its energy mix with innovation. Along with
enhancing energy production, the nation also needs to cut Aggregate
Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to below 12% by 2022,
and below 10% by 2027.
Enabling India to achieve this imperative is the smart grid, the first
step of which, is the creation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure. A
new range of ‘smart meters’ can bring efficiency to how India
manages its electricity, by checking data-entry errors and billing
efficiencies, and cutting the costs of manual meter reading through
web-based monitoring system.
With its pioneering role in India’s energy efficiency journey, EESL’s
Smart Meter National Programme (SMNP) is working to eventually
replace 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters across India.
By bringing standardized solutions based on the GPRS technology,
these meters will ease integration in the sector, while cutting capital
costs and boosting efficiency in billing and collection. Customers
will also benefit from accurate bill readings, and real-time
understanding of their electricity usage, catalysing a pan-India
movement towards energy efficiency.
Our proven model of bulk procurement, aggregation of demand, and
monetisation of savings will be the approach to roll out smart meters.
This roll-out is proposed under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer
(BOOT) model, wherein EESL will undertake all the capital and
operational expenditure with zero upfront investment from states and
utilities. EESL will therefore, receive a nominal Internal Rate of
Return that is reflected in a mutually agreed upon, automated
payback structure.
In the larger scheme of things, the programme will holistically
promote the Indian manufacturing industry while creating more
direct and indirect jobs. The programme is expected to better billing
efficiency by 75 to 100 percent while increasing the revenues of the
utility companies to Rs. 1,38,100 crore.
 6. INTERNATIONALLY USE OF
AMR AT PRASENT
Construction practices, weather, and the need for information drive
utilities in different parts of the world towards AMR at different
rates. In the US, there have been significant fixed network
deployments of both RF based and PLC based technologies. Some
countries have either deployed or plan to deploy AMR systems
throughout the entire country.
Smart meter based on open smart grid protocol (OSGP) in use in
Europe that has the ability to reduce load, disconnect-reconnect
remotely, and interface to gas and
water meters. The Open Smart Grid
Protocol (OSGP) is a family of
specifications published by
the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) used in
conjunction with the ISO/IEC 14908
control networking standard
for smart grid applications. OSGP is
optimized to provide reliable and
efficient delivery of command and
control information for smart meters,
direct load control modules, solar
panels, gateways, and other smart
grid devices. With over 5 million
OSGP based smart meters and
devices deployed worldwide it is one
of the most widely used smart meter and smart grid device
networking standards.
Older US residential electric meter location, retrofitted with a 1-
phase digital smart meter. The meter communicates to its collection
point using 900 MHz mesh network topology.

Older US residential electric meter.

REDUCING THEFT “I really appreciate the USAID Power

Distribution Program’s
initiative of installing
Automatic Meter Reading
(AMR) meters on selected
domestic consumers within
the Musa Pak division.
These consumers are
located on very remote
locations and it was very
hard for meter readers to
visit these premises,
resulting in consumer
engaging in electricity theft.
Installation of AMR meters
with GSM/GPRS communication capability has facilitated accurate
and timely meter reading.” Multan Electric Power Company,
Executive Engineer (Musa Pak Division) Mushtaq Ahmad Athanglh

7. TECHNOLOGIES
Touch technology:-
With touch-based AMR, a meter reader carries a handheld computer
or data collection device with a wand or probe. The device
automatically collects the readings from a meter by touching or
placing the read probe in close proximity to a reading coil enclosed
in the touchpad. When a button is pressed, the probe sends an
interrogate signal to the touch module to collect the meter reading.
The software in the device matches the serial number to one in the
route database, and saves the meter reading for later download to a
billing or data collection computer. Since the meter reader still has
to go to the site of the meter, this is sometimes referred to as "on-
site" AMR. Another form of contact reader uses a standardized
infrared port to transmit data. Protocols are standardized between
manufacturers by such documents as ANSI C12.18 or IEC 61107.
AMR Hosting:-
AMR Hosting is a back-office solution which allows a user to track
their electricity, water, or gas consumption over the Internet. All
data is collected in near real-time, and is stored in a database by data
acquisition software. The user can view the data via a web
application, and can analyze the data using various online analysis
tools such as charting load profiles, analyzing tariff components,
and verify their utility bill.

Radio frequency network:-

Radio frequency based AMR can take many forms. The more
common ones are handheld, mobile, satellite and fixed network
solutions. There are both two-way RF systems and one-way RF
systems in use that use both licensed and unlicensed RF bands.
In a two-way or "wake up" system, a radio signal is normally sent to
an AMR meter's unique serial number, instructing its transceiver to
power-up and transmit its data. The meter transceiver and the
reading transceiver both send and receive radio signals. In a one-
way “bubble-up” or continuous broadcast type system, the meter
transmits continuously and data is sent every few seconds. This
means the reading device can be a receiver only, and the meter a
transmitter only. Data travels only from the meter transmitter to the
reading receiver. There are also hybrid systems that combine one-
way and two-way techniques, using one-way communication for
reading and two-way communication for programming functions.
RF-based meter reading usually eliminates the need for the meter
reader to enter the property or home, or to locate and open an
underground meter pit. The utility saves money by increased speed
of reading, has less liability from entering private property, and has
fewer missed readings from being unable to access the meter.
The technology based on RF is not readily accepted everywhere. In
several Asian countries, the technology faces a barrier of regulations
in place pertaining to use of the radio frequency of any radiated
power. For example, in India the radio frequency which is generally
in ISM band is not free to use even for low power radio of 10 mW.
The majority of manufacturers of electricity meters have radio
frequency devices in the frequency band of 433/868 MHz for large
scale deployment in European countries. The frequency band of
2.4 GHz can be now used in India for outdoor as well as indoor
applications, but few manufacturers have shown products within this
frequency band. Initiatives in radio frequency AMR in such
countries are being taken up with regulators wherever the cost of
licensing outweighs the benefits of AMR.

Handheld:-
In handheld AMR, a meter reader carries a handheld computer with
a built-in or attached receiver/transceiver (radio frequency or touch)
to collect meter readings from an AMR capable meter. This is
sometimes referred to as "walk-by" meter reading since the meter
reader walks by the locations where meters are installed as they go
through their meter reading route. Handheld computers may also be
used to manually enter readings without the use of AMR technology
as an alternate but this will not support exhaustive data which can be
accurately read using the meter reading electronically.

Mobile:-
Mobile or "drive-by" meter reading is where a reading device is
installed in a vehicle. The meter reader drives the vehicle while the
reading device automatically collects the meter readings. Often, for
mobile meter reading, the reading equipment includes navigational
and mapping features provided by GPS and mapping software. With
mobile meter reading, the reader does not normally have to read the
meters in any particular route order, but just drives the service area
until all meters are read. Components often consist of a laptop or
proprietary computer, software, RF receiver/transceiver, and
external vehicle antennas.

Satellite:-
Satellite transmitters can be installed in the field next to existing
meters. The satellite AMR devices communicates with the meter for
readings, and then sends those readings over a fixed or mobile
satellite network. This network requires a clear view to the sky for
the satellite transmitter/receiver, but eliminates the need to install
fixed towers or send out field technicians, thereby being particularly
suited for areas with low geographic meter density.

RF technologies commonly used for AMR:-

Narrow Band (single fixed radio frequency)
Spread Spectrum
Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS)
Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)
There are also meters using AMR with RF technologies such as
cellular phone data systems, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wavenis and others.
Some systems operate with U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) licensed frequencies and others under FCC Part
15, which allows use of unlicensed radio frequencies.
Wi-Fi:-
Wifi Smart is a versatile platform which can be used by a variety of
electrical home appliances in order to provide wireless TCP/IP
communication using the 802.11 b/g protocol. Devices such as the
Smart Thermostat permit a utility to lower a home's power
consumption to help manage power demand.
The city of Corpus Christi became one of the first cities in
the United States to implement citywide Wi-Fi, which had been free
until May 31, 2007, mainly to facilitate AMR after a meter reader
was attacked by a dog. Today many meters are designed to transmit
using Wi-Fi, even if a Wi-Fi network is not available, and they are
read using a drive-by local Wi-Fi hand held receiver.
The meters installed in Corpus Christi are not directly Wi-Fi
enabled, but rather transmit narrow-band burst telemetry on the
460 MHz band. This narrow-band signal has much greater range
than Wi-Fi, so the numbers of receivers required for the project are
far fewer. Special receiver stations then decode the narrow-band
signals and resend the data via Wi-Fi.
Most of the automated utility meters installed in the Corpus Christi
area are battery powered. Wi-Fi technology is unsuitable for long-
term battery-powered operation.

Power line communication:-

PLC is a method where electronic data is transmitted over power
lines back to the substation, then relayed to a central computer in the
utility's main office. This would be considered a type of fixed
network system—the network being the distribution network which
the utility has built and maintains to deliver electric power. Such
systems are primarily used for electric meter reading. Some
providers have interfaced gas and water meters to feed into a PLC
type system.
8.ADVANCED AMR AND AMI
Originally AMR devices just collected meter readings electronically and
matched them with accounts. As technology has advanced, additional data
could then be captured, stored, and transmitted to the main computer, and
often the metering devices could be controlled remotely. This can include
events alarms such as tamper, leak detection, low battery, or reverse flow.
Many AMR devices can also capture interval data, and log meter events.
The logged data can be used to collect or control time of use or rate of use
data that can be used for water or energy usage profiling, time of use
billing, demand forecasting, demand response, rate of flow recording, leak
detection, flow monitoring, water and energy conservation enforcement,
remote shutoff, etc. Advanced metering infrastructure, or AMI is the new
term coined to represent the networking technology of fixed network
meter systems that go beyond AMR into remote utility management. The
meters in an AMI system are often referred to as smart meters, since they
often can use collected data based on programmed logic.
The Automatic Meter Reading Association (AMRA)
endorses the National Association of Regulatory
Utility Commissioners (NARUC) resolution to
eliminate regulatory barriers to the broad
implementation of advanced metering infrastructure
(AMI). The resolution, passed in February
2007,[5] acknowledged the role of AMI in supporting
the implementation of dynamic pricing and the
resulting benefits to consumers. The resolution further identified the value
of AMI in achieving significant utility operational cost savings in the
areas of outage management, revenue protection and asset management.
The resolution also called for AMI business case analysis to identify cost-
effective deployment strategies, endorsed timely cost recovery for
prudently incurred AMI expenditures and made additional
recommendations on rate making and tax treatment of such investments.
 9. BENEFITS OF ADVANCE
METERING
Advanced metering systems can provide benefits for utilities, retail
providers and customers. Benefits will be recognized by the utilities
with increased efficiencies, outage detection, tamper notification and
reduced labor cost as a result of automating reads, connections and
disconnects. Retail providers will be able to offer new innovative
products in addition to customizing packages for their customers. In
addition, with the meter data being readily available, more flexible
billing cycles would be available to their customers instead of following
the standard utility read cycles. With timely usage information available
to the customer, benefits will be seen through opportunities to manage
their energy consumption and change from one REP to another with
actual meter data. Because of these benefits, many utilities are moving
towards implementing some types of AMR solutions.
In many cases, smart metering is required by law (e.g. Pennsylvania's
Act 129 (2008)).
The benefits of smart metering for the utility

• Accurate meter reading, no more estimates

• Improved billing
• Accurate profile classes and measurement classes, true costs applied
• Improved security and tamper detection for equipment
• Energy management through profile data graphs
• Less financial burden correcting mistakes
• Less accrued expenditure
• Transparency of "cost to read" metering
• Improved procurement power though more accurate data — "de-risking"
price
• In cases of shortages, utility will be able to manage/allocate supply.
The benefits of smart metering for the customer.

• Improved billing and tracking of usage.

10. 4 REASONS WHY SMART METERS ARE
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY:-
1. An energy saving opportunity
Smart meters provide businesses with the chance to fully engage
with, and take control of, their energy use. With improved insight
into consumption patterns provided by online smart meter reporting,
businesses can identify and pursue potential new saving
opportunities.

2. The end of estimated energy bills

Smart meters will bring an end to estimated billing, this means that
businesses will only pay for the energy they use. For business that
uses energy in a consistent manner, the end of estimated billing will
enable them to forecast their energy spend. This increased
functionality will also support time-of-use tariffs and allow
businesses to access the benefits this can provide, leading to further
cost savings on energy use.

3. Switching energy supplier will be easier than ever before

The introduction of smart metering has the potential to boost
competition across the energy market. This will not only make it
easier and faster to switch energy suppliers, but provide businesses
with the best possible deals available. Currently it can be difficult for
businesses to secure the data they need to switch energy supplier,
making it difficult to compare and search the market for the best
prices and the right contract.

4. Increased control of energy usage

Most businesses don’t know how much energy they use with a third
not understanding their energy bills. Smart meters are designed to
give back control to businesses and consumers to rebalance the
energy market. The greater visibility of energy usage will quickly
help to identify patterns of usage, equipment that consumes a high
amount of energy and view consumption levels across the business.
When you combine usage data with real time consumption data
businesses have increased control over their energy usage and energy
saving opportunities.
 11. PROS AND CONS OF SMART
ELECTRIC METERS
Smart meters are tools used to
manage and record electricity
and performance of electronic
devices in the home. What
makes the meters "smart" is
their ability to provide detailed
and accurate analytics on
electrical usage in real-time or
at predetermined intervals, all
without a technician.

The U.S. Department of

Energy estimates that nearly 70
million American homes are
already using a smart meter,
and electric utility companies
have enthusiastically replaced analog meters (which are read
manually each month) whenever possible.

The strategic potential of collecting a broad spectrum of information

about electricity consumption includes the value of quick, accurate
measurements and the elimination of monthly estimates and meter-
reading home visits.

Despite being the most energy-efficient and profitable means to

manage an electrical grid, there are concerns over the personal data
that smart meters are collecting in real-time, including what may be
unnecessary information about hourly electricity use. This collection
of data could, potentially, be a violation of users' privacy.

Here's a look at the benefits and challenges that smart meters present
to electric utilities, customers, and the environment:
 Advantages of Smart Meters for Consumers:-
• For greater and more detailed feedback regarding energy use
• Ability to adjust habits in order to lower electricity bills
• Reduces the number of blackouts and system-wide electricity
failures

Disadvantages of Smart Meters for Consumers

• Additional fees for the installation of the new meter
• Privacy concerns for the personal data collected and how it will
be used
• More responsibility placed upon the consumer for maintenance

Advantages of Smart Meters for Electric Companies

• Eliminates manual monthly meter readings
• Monitors the electric system in real time
• Encourages more efficient use of power resources
• Provides responsive data for balancing electric loads while
reducing blackouts
• Enables dynamic pricing
• Avoids the capital expense of building new power plants
• Helps to optimize the profit with existing resources

Disadvantages of Smart Meters for Electric Companies

• The additional cost to train personal, develop equipment, and
implement new processes for data storage
• Managing public reaction and feedback concerning new meters
• Making a long-term financial commitment to new
hardware/software
• Ensuring the security and privacy of metering data

The Disadvantages Are Short Term:-

With new, resource-saving technology comes new challenges that
will arise regarding expensive, energy-intensive data storage and the
privacy issues that loom large over these domestic and commercial
technologies. If consumers are not familiar with managing new
energy systems on their own, they are less likely to pay close
attention to the energy-saving potential of such smart meters (or
how their personal data is being used).
The majority of the smart meter's disadvantages may seem short
term, but such challenges will slow down the rate of adoption for
these technologies in some cases, especially in rural and
presently off-grid areas.
Promises to protect and value the personal data of users are crucial
but unfeasible if electric companies don't place cybersecurity and
technical leadership squarely in the charter of their organizations.
Consumer protections are as essential to the product as the
responsive features that make them useful to utility companies.
 12. ADVANTAGE AND
DISADVANTAGE OF AMR
Advantage of AMR:-
Smart meters can benefit the electric company by...
• Eliminating manual meter reading.
• Monitoring the electric system more quickly.
• Making it possible to use power resources more efficiently.
• Providing real-time data useful for balancing electric loads and
reducing power outages .(blackouts)
• Enabling dynamic pricing .(raising or lowering the cost of electricity
based on demand)
• Avoiding the capital expense of building new power plants.
• Helping to optimize income with existing resources.

After the electric company has fully installed its advanced metering
infrastructure, smart meters can benefit the electricity customer by...

• Offering more detailed feedback on energy use.

• Enabling them to adjust their habits to lower electric bills.
• Reducing blackouts and system-wide electric failures.

Smart meters can ultimately benefit the environment by...

• Preventing the need for new power plants that would produce
pollution.
• Curbing greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants.
• Reducing pollution from vehicles driven by meter readers.
 Disadvantage of AMR:- All technology has its advantages and
drawbacks; while smart meters have their benefits, they also present
challenges to electric utilities and customers. The vast majority of
these drawbacks, however, are short term. Once the system has been
set up and training is complete, smart meters can be very helpful to
both electricity providers and consumers.

Smart meters present these challenges and costs to the electric

company...

• Transitioning to new technology and processes

• Managing public reaction and customer acceptance of the new
meters
• Making a long-term financial commitment to the new metering
technology and related software
• Managing and storing vast quantities of metering data
• Ensuring the security of metering data

Smart meters pose these challenges to consumers...

• Verifying that the new meter is accurate

• Protecting the privacy of their personal data
• Paying additional fees for the new meter

Other disadvantages include the reality that smart meters put

human meter readers out of work; to date, hundreds of
individuals have lost their jobs. In addition, while it was
anticipated that that smart meters would save consumers money,
consumers rarely check their complex meters and thus are unable to
make energy consumption changes.

While smart meters certainly make the collection of information

simpler and billing less complex and arduous, other advantages have
yet to materialize.
 References

1. Zahran M (2013) Smart grid technology, vision management

andcontrol. WSEAS transactions on systems, vol 12, Issue 1
2. Akyol B, Kirkham H, Clements S, Hadley M (2010) A survey of
wireless communications for the electric power system. Prepared for
the U.S, Department of Energy
3. Baumeister T (2010) Literature review on smart grid cyber
security,TechnicalReport. http://csdl.ics.hawaii.edu/techreports/10-
11/10-11.pdf
4. Brown HE, Suryanarayanan S (2009) A survey seeking a definition
of a smart distribution system. North American power symposium’09,
pp 1–7
5. Chen S, Song S, Li L, Shen J (2009) Survey on smart grid technology
(in Chinese). Power SystemTechnol 33(8):1–7
6. From google

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