1. Using prepayment for revenue assurance: Prepayment remote metering pilot project results
Edison Makwarela
                                                               

2. Presentation Layout History of prepayment in Eskom (SA)
Current challenges
Pilot Project
Results of the Pilot Project
Future direction

3. History of Prepayment in Eskom
"Electricity for All" concept developed.
customers had to be supported by the smallest amount of Eskom personnel.
system to operate with a low level of management and maintenance.
the standard billed system required a lot of day-to day management to process accounts and to maintain connections and disconnections.
many of the areas where potential customers reside had almost no infrastructure.

4. History of Prepayment in Eskom (continued)
no fixed addresses, high unemployment, no bank accounts and no postal services
many customers were illiterate and did not understand bills
Eskom started the development of the basic prepayment system which is still in use today
about 3 million prepaid meters installed to date in South Africa.
increasing by annually.

5. Challenges with current system
±3 million meters installed in Eskom
after installation meters are never visited except:
customer calls/maintenance
for general audits (2-3 years cycle)
tampered meters are not easily detected
access to installed meters is not always possible
no means of communicating with meters in the field
cannot interrogate meters remotely
cannot disable possible tampered meters

6. Challenges with current system (continued)
high revenue losses in electrification projects
need to communicate with meters remotely
government enforced Electrification Programme continues
average sales per customer per months ±R35 (±$6)

7. Remote Metering Options Considered
Complete
New system
Establish remote communication with current installed meters
Options
current meters not faulty
cost of new system
huge current installed base
return on investment
compatibility with current standards
Drivers

8. Business requirements
develop a walk-by,
non-intrusive,
non-contact audit (extract/read data) system
to collect and store data from prepaid meters
technology developed to work with current meters*
cost per unit should be as low as possible
device must be replaceable without changing meter if it fails and visa-versa
it must be relatively easy to install developed devices

9. Developed Technology - InfoPOD
RF transceiver
or InfoPOD
MC171 Port
data and tokens transfer
meter interrogation
trip meter remotely
tamper detection
connect RF transceiver to port
one RF transceiver per meter
short distance remote metering 100m
Benefits

10. System Operation InfoPOD connected to meter trough MC171 port
placed inside the meter base
Master unit connected to HHU or Laptop

11. Field Trials Funding for Pilot was approved for 300 units.
2002: 5 prototype InfoPODs at Zonkizizwe
tested ease of installation, effect of steel & concrete structures on communications.
2m distance, complex software on HHU, MC171 connector problems
2003: 5 new InfoPODs installed at Zonkizizwe.
47m distance, software user friendly, run on laptop
presented results to Management.
Funding for Pilot was approved for 300 units.

12. Objectives of the Pilot
establish effective remote communication with prepaid meters
read meters from the street (at a nominal distance of 50m).
check if InfoPOD stores the correct date and time.
check the effect of electromagnetic interference on detection range.
determine effects of power loss on InfoPOD.
verify data accuracy of sales & credit information stored on the InfoPOD.

13. Pilot Preparations -2004 selected areas with specific RF challenges
tin houses
radio interference
potential tampering of meters
interference from Hi-Tech devices
installations limited to transformer zones to facilitate revenue loss calculation
held meetings to informed customers about the project

14. Pilot Project Pilot Actuals Ideal Pilot Diepsloot = 67 units
urban – tin/brick houses
high revenue losses
Mmakau = 71 units
rural – tin houses
radio base station-702MHz
Ivory Park = 32
particular brand of meters
Ideal Pilot
expected to install 300 units for pilot
3 sites with 100 units each
Challenges
number of connections per-transformer zone
customers not at home*
tampered meters
faulty meters
incompatibility – proprietary meters
Faulty InfoPODs

15. Results of Pilot
the maximum distance from where an audit was conducted was 99 meters.
the mean distance was 44 meters which allowed the users to read several meters from the street.
a limiting factor - the 3 hour battery life of the laptop.
takes minutes to get data downloaded (depends on strength of signal)
the mean time to install an InfoPOD was 10 minutes.
could send all types of tokens to the meter from the street

16. Results of Pilot (continued)
audited weekly or two weekly.
two master units malfunction if used simultaneously within a 1km radius.
InfoPod installed in Lab
communication established from a max. distance of 79m
lab is next to Eskom Control Centre (Grid)

17. Results: Revenue loss Reduction

18. Results: Normal Graph

19. Results: Normal Graph

20. Results: Tampered meter
energy consumed
time

21. Other Realised Benefits
monitor the quality of supply by checking the frequency of trips at the meter.
network planning - can show changes in customer’s energy consumption per transformer zone.
revenue management - show the amount of credit purchased as well as the frequency of purchases
correct non-standard tariffs in a fast non-intrusive.

22. Other Realised Benefits (Continued)
trip meters and reset them from the street.
can test meters by the standard dispenser test for maintenance reasons.
can be integrated with online vending
send credit to meters remotely with minor modifications to the InfoPOD

23. Future System

24. Concluding Remarks remote communication is expensive in SA
pilot projects initiated to test future model
more units will be installed in 2005 in strategic townships
all developments will adhere to STS
prepayment remote metering is the future
Municipalities in SA implementing the technology