Cutting Edge Solutions of Todays

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Cutting Edge Solutions of Todays Utility Issues
2005 Western Conference of Public Service
Commissioners June 20, 2005
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AMR vs. Advanced Metering

• AMR
• Limited capabilities and functionality
• No flexibility
• Not real-time
• Advanced Metering
• Provides more than just meter readings
• Maximum flexibility
• Real time readings of all data

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Why has the AMR industry not exploded already?

• Limited Hardware Designs
• Meter interfaces and communications
• Have not provided true real time data
• Communications Challenges
• Build and maintain your own networkexpensive!
• Public carriers not interested
• Complicated Software Packages
• Software programmers do not understand real-time
  pricing, time-of-use, and load management
• No Flexibility and Proprietary Solutions
• Forced to use a single vendors hardware,
  software and communications

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What defines true advanced metering?

• Real-time
• Capable of reading meters in as few as ten
  seconds
• Standards-based, open architecture, agnostic
  platform
• An advanced metering solution should be
  interoperable with any electric meter and not
  lock utilities into a particular communications
  choice
• End-to-end platform
• A combination of hardware, software, and
  wireless communication technologies for a
  complete, customized solution.

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What is the Right solution in Advanced Metering?

• Advanced metering platform comprising
• Meter-agnostic hardware reference design
• Completely underglass
• LAN-ready design
• Transport-agnostic communications infrastructure
• Real-time
• IP-based, two-way
• Web-based meter management software
• Load management, real-time pricing, time-of-use
  analysis
• Scalable

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The top-down view of advanced metering done
correctly
Meter
Monitor
Measure
Manage
Maximize
Meter-agnostic hardware design Totally
underglass - Communications Interface Board -
Antenna - Modem

• Transport-agnostic
• communications
• Any wireless carrier
• - iDEN, Satellite, GPRS, 1xRTT
• Data collections in real real-time
• Bluetooth wireless technology or ZigBee LAN
  communications

• User Friendly Software
• Displays data
• Issues alerts
• Enables
• Load profile
• Meter aggregation
• RTP
• TOU
• Load Curtailment

Software Hosting Options -Premised
Based -Hosted Solution
Reports - Custom - Standard
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Data flow
Dedicated connection (IP, Frame relay, other)
Transport-agnostic long range communications
(CDMA, iDEN, GPRS, Satellite)
Host
Short range communications (WiFi, LAN, Serial,
RF, other)
Dedicated connection (IP, Frame relay, other)
Utility/CI Customer Reports Alerts Event
management
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Advanced meterings impact

• Customer Service
• 15 to 25 of utility customers move annually
• Off-cycle meter read 10 to 20 per read
• Billing adjustments 5 to 25 per event
• Generating estimate bill 0.50 to 5 per bill
• Customer service call 1 to 10 per call
• Follow-up investigation 5 to 75 per event
• Trouble ticket 25 to 150 per event
• Re-bill account 5 to 25 per bill Revenue lost
  to float 0.50 to 2

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Advanced meterings impact (cont)

• Distribution Support/Engineering
• Real-time customer load information
• Real-time pricing support
• Maximize system planning
• Impacting distribution, substation and
  transmission
• Power quality and reliability
• Proactive responses to issues before customers
  complain.
• Outage notification
• Ensure restoration crews are appropriately
  dispatched to problem areas.

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Advanced meterings impact (cont)

• Marketing Sales
• Direct link to customers and their energy
  consumption needs
• Generate additional revenue
• With load and time-of-use data, utilities can
  better manage system resources
• Transforms utilities from a pure commodity
  provider to a true business knowledge partner

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Advanced meterings impact (cont)

• Finance
• CFOs can rely on an advanced metering to
• Maximize asset management
• Quicken read-to-bill time
• Improve cash flow from shortened floats
• Reduce bad debt due to uncollectible accounts
• More closely track shrinkage due to theft or loss
• Optimize personnel needs
• Balance load with power purchases
• Offer variable pricing schemes
• Eliminate or defer capital outlays

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Advanced meterings impact (cont)

• Meter Reading and Operations
• Reductions in
• Direct labor
• Transportation
• Specialized equipment,
• Clerical support
• Office space
• Management supervision
• Benefits
• Contract meter reading
• Job-related and mandated training

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• Corporate Offices
  Engineering/Development
• P.O. Box 549 5191 Columbus Road
• Hartsville, SC 29501 Macon, GA 31206
• 1-888-99AMRON