Automated Meter Reading -- AMR -- News

Automated meter reading (AMR), also referred to as automatic meter reading (see articles), is an automated technique of gathering consumption and billing information from residential utility meters. Traditionally utility meters have been read by a field technician dispatched to a neighborhood to gain access to customer property and record usage information manually. AMR allows utility companies to remotely read their customer's meters.

When a utility has installed an AMR system in its service territory, field technicians can drive through neighborhoods and collect information, without leaving their vehicles, from meters using wireless technology -- the meter sending the information and a data collection device archiving the information. AMR can produce benefits such as reduced labor costs, more accurate billing and can eliminate the need for estimated bills, which can be costly for utilities. (See Giving AMR the Nod: Analyzing the Costs and Benefits.)

In other cases, metering information can be transmitted via telephone line or cable directly to the utility. Such capabilities are considered a part of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). AMI (see articles) seeks to further the technology of existing AMR systems by adding components such as smart meters (see articles). Smart meters can communicate in real-time with the utility, giving usage information and can also receive pricing information. Such capability allows utilities to give customers date useful for tailoring their consumption to fit their budget and hopefully, from a utility's perspective, to curtail usage during peak demand. AMI, and particularly smart meters, are rising issues in the utility industry. (See AMI's true value: Smart metering, smart customers and Metering gets smart.)

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