AUTOMATED METER READING SYSTEMS & IT'S POTENTIAL Chrispal Anand - Carbon and Energy Manager

Summary  Purpose of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system  What does an AMR system entail?  University of Leicester's estate and It’s AMR system  The use of AMR  Maintenance of AMR  Things to bear in mind when embarking on an AMR

The Purpose of AMR  Eliminate manual meter read  Better quality of data  Help to understand energy and water usage profile  Avoid energy and water wastage early  Making it easier for legislative compliance  Helps to justify energy efficiency and water savings projects  Assists in bill validation and re-charges

Typical Meter Reading Installation  Monthly or weekly meter reads using clip board or handheld devices  Manually enter the readings into the energy management software.  Half-Hourly meter reads via a suitable method  Meter reads transferred automatically into a database  The energy management software uses this database for further analysis Manual meter reading systemAutomated meter reading system

AMR Data Collection Methods  Data collection methods  Low radio powered  Network (TCP/IP)  SMS  GMS  Hardwire Data Logger Transmitter

Typical Meters Connected AMR  Typical meters  Data loggers  Electricity meters/sub-meters  Flow meters  Gas meters/sub- meters  Heat meters  Portable meters  Steam meters  Water meters

AMR Software  Web based  Client hosted  PC based  Intranet based

The University of Leicester  The University has an extensive estate in the City of Leicester, Oadby and Glenfield comprising of:  5 main sites  291 buildings occupying an area of 290,455 m 2  48 hectares of grounds  Number of employees – 3,803 ( )  Number of registered students – 22,784 ( )

What do you know about your meters?  Gas - Do you know your MAM (Meter Asset Manager)?  National Grid / Energy Asset / Smart Metering System / Exoteric / Off Stream/ etc  Electricity - Do you know your MOP (Meter Operator)?  Siemens / EDF / EON / British Gas / etc  Of course, you need to know your suppliers  Meter location is important (plant room/boiler house/ pavement/ under kitchen sink/cleaner cupboard/etc)

AMR Tender  UoL has been through 2 AMR tenders  Tender 1 (2007) – Non-Residential Buildings  Tender 2 (2011) – Residential Buildings  Selection criteria  Cost  Software user-friendliness  Data collection method  Installation experience  Ongoing maintenance for hardware and software  Staffing levels

University of Leicester AMR System University of Leicester – Data Bird AMR System

University of Leicester AMR System University of Leicester – Digital Energy AMR System

AMR at University of Leicester  Number of fiscal meters  Electricity – 127 (non Half-Hourly) and 23 (Half-Hourly)  Gas – 112  Water – 94  Number of sub-meters – 321 approx  Number of meters on Data Bird system – 461  Number of meters on Digital Energy system – 216

The Use of AMR - Compliance - Legislative compliance: Energy data for Display Energy Certificate / Energy Performance Certificate / CRC & EU ETS data check

The Use of AMR - Projects - - Business case energy efficiency projects - - To prove energy saving projects Charles Wilson Building - Voltage Optimisation Project Before : Energy consumption – 1,415,098 kWh Energy cost - £112K After : Total project cost - £51K Savings predicted – 11% Savings per year projected - £11,846 Payback – 4.4 years CO 2 savings – 83.6 Tonnes pa

The Use of AMR – Switch Off - - To prove behavioural change projects - - Example: Student Switch Off Project during Feb 2012 at Percy Gee (Students Union Building) 26kwh saved over the switch off period. 5% saving compared to previous Thursday (2/2/12).

The Use of AMR – User Access - AMR access for environmental coordinators

The Use of AMR – Billing & Re-charges - Set-up energy contractors within AMR software for re-charge purposes

Tips to Maintain AMR System  Dedicated personnel resource depending on size of the system  Set alarms and monitor alarms on a daily basis  It’s good practice to take 1 or 2 manual meter reads per year to reconcile the automated reads  Site tree structure  AMR providers to provide familiar reports

Finally …. Things to bear in mind  Make sure you have valid business case for the preferred AMR system  Ensure you choose an appropriate data collecting system that works for your institution  Speak to your utility suppliers, MOP and MAM  Choose a user-friendly software  Small contingency pot for unknown meters  Ensure you have a maintenance contract for hardware and software, which suits your institution

Any Questions? Chrispal Anand Carbon and Energy manager