Smart metering explained
AMR, AMM, AMI - What's the difference?
In recent years the energy business has had to learn a new terminology that has arisen side by side with the development of the smart metering technology.
Being presented to the possibilities of smart metering, the utilities are also asked to take a position on smart metering in regard to advantages, challenges, costs or cost savings.
On top of these questions and issues comes that there is no clear definition of the smart metering concept. Each supplier of smart metering solutions uses his own interpretation.
Is it the same as remote reading?
Basically the industry differentiates between the following three concepts – with slight variations:
Automated Meter Reading (AMR) is a remote reading system based on an advanced technology that permits utilities to read electronic meters over long distances. Through AMR, the energy consumption can be read on an annual, monthly, weekly, daily or on an hourly basis.
Consumption and status data, such as time stamps, are through various connection media being transmitted to a central system for billing and analysis. The automatic data collection enables billing based on real time consumption as opposed to an estimated consumption.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) refers to systems that measure, read and analyse energy consumption. These systems are also able to read electricity, gas, heat and water meters remotely. AMI systems can be defined as an extension of the simpler AMR-system. The AMI always communicates two-way and comprises the whole range of metering devices, software, communication media, and data management systems.
Automated Meter Management (AMM) or Smart Metering is another expansion of a remote reading system that includes the possibility of performing technical measurements and functions and carrying out customer-orientated services via the system.
The question is not anymore how to get the data, but how to manage them and how to get the most information out of them. This is in fact the core function of the smart meter: it enables a sensible and economically viable allocation of the resources from data collection to analyzing data.