What is a Smart Prepaid Energy Meter?
Introduction
Smart prepaid energy meters are used to collect electricity bills from consumers according to their consumption. The prepaid meter is not limited to automated meter reading ( AMR ), but also has a prepaid recharge function and can exchange information about consumption between the grid and the consumer. The consumption data sent by the prepaid energy meter can be stored in the network computer for later review.
Prepaid smart meters are the new generation of energy meters that record electricity consumption in real-time. Because they are connected to the Internet, users and utilities can easily track and monitor electricity usage and receive accurate bills. The remote meter reading capability eliminates the need for manual verification, making it extremely efficient and convenient. Consumers can also receive alerts for insufficient/low credit or abnormal consumption via a user-friendly web portal or mobile app to optimize their consumption.
Advantages of using smart meters
Efficient- By keeping regular tabs on how much energy you’re consuming; you will be encouraged to adjust your electricity usage and save money as well as resources.
Operational efficiency- The existing manual system to collect revenue for power usage is not only inefficient, but it also causes huge losses to power distribution companies. By being highly accurate, prepaid smart meters would significantly reduce these losses and help utilities in improving the power supply.
User-friendly- Prepaid smart meters send alerts of low balances in the account so that users can recharge well in advance and avoid any last-minute hassles.
Green energy-Prepaid smart meters reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, lowering our country's carbon footprint as we move closer to a smart energy system. Using this improves customer service as well.
Customer service is also improved by using this. With the use of a smart prepaid energy meter, the billing delay and extra cost due to disconnection/reconnection can be removed and we can use the electrical energy in a controlled manner that assists consumers in saving money through better energy management.
Market Drivers
Marketing drivers are the underlying forces that compel a potential consumer to want to buy or pay for certain products/services
- Due to the increase in the need for electrical power, the consumer-focused in the deregulated power distribution market is forcing the market participants to make the existing metering and billing process competently. This drives the prepaid market.
- Metering errors, and tampering with meters is belongs to non-technical losses which lead to low registration and calibration-related frauds. In India, it is greater than 10 percent. By using prepaid meters we can control non-technical losses in a better way than conventional ones.
- Most Asian countries do not have 100% electrification; hence by the increasing generating capacity new markets are being created. The Prepaid energy meter unit can be more easily introduced in such types of new markets rather than the existing ones to enhance electrification.
Smart Meter National Program (SMNP):
The National Smart Meter Program aims to replace 25 million conventional meters in India with smart meters. The smart meters are linked to a web-based monitoring system that will help reduce utilities' commercial losses, increase revenues, and serve as an important tool for power sector reforms. EESL's business model for the smart meter rollout is to convert the current manual revenue collection system, which results in low billing and low revenue collection efficiency.
Conclusion
References-http://www.smartmeterindia.org/# ,EESL- https://eeslindia.org/en/smart-meters/