Move over AMR, AMI is here now - Xenius Smart Meter

Move over AMR, AMI is here now

From mechanical meter reading to automatic to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), the
technology that provides two-way communication between the consumer meter and the
power utility. AMI-based meters, or smart meters, come loaded with benefits for all the
stakeholders of the power industry. They are a way advanced than the AMR-based meters
which replaced the mechanical meters a few years back.

Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is a technology that collects data from electricity meter
and sends it to the power utility. It’s a one- way communication of data, from home to
utility. AMR devices create a direct communication channel between the consumer and the
supplier, thereby, ensuring accurate billing and giving customers the option to monitor and
analyse their energy usage.

A step ahead of AMR is the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that enables two-way
communication over a fixed network between the utility system and metering endpoints.
Electricity meters with AMI are called smart meters. These meters are not only capable of
sending data from home to the utility, but can also record the time and consumption of
energy at any particular time of the day or week.

• A step ahead of AMR is the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that enables two-
way communication over a fixed network between the utility system and metering
endpoints.

• Mechanical meters were prone to tampering and caused huge losses to the utilities.
Electricity theft, done by manipulating the meter reading through a magnet, was a
common practice.

• With the help of AMI-based electricity meters, utilities can also implement various
energy-saving and load-reduction programmes to reduce the cost of the electricity
supplied to the consumers.

AMI meters are a smarter and digitally superior version of the AMR meters. Power utilities
can digitally send updates regarding the pricing and energy consumption to an AMI meter.
These are way ahead of the AMR meters, which were considered the most advanced
technology in the energy sector when they replaced the previously-used mechanical meters.

The mechanical meters were prone to tampering and caused huge losses to the utilities.
Electricity theft, done by manipulating the meter reading through a magnet, was a common
practice in many parts of the country. Besides, utility staff was sent to take the meter
reading manually and this often led to human errors. AS a result, the Electricity Department
faced huge losses due to this faulty meter reading.

Now, with the advancements in technology, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial
Intelligence (AI), AMI-based electricity meters have been developed which are
technologically ahead of not only the mechanical meters but also the AMR-based electricity
meters. No doubt AMR is less expensive, but it also provides fewer features and benefits as
opposed to the AMI, which is costlier.

With the help of AMI-based electricity meters, utilities can also implement various energy-
saving and load-reduction programmes to reduce the cost of the electricity supplied to the
consumers. In any case, AMI smart meters provide consumers with accurate reading of the
energy consumption and do not give estimates, as was the case with old mechanical meters.

The In-home display on the AMI meters shows every reading in detail and any sudden spike
in the reading can be associated with faulty appliances. This can help the consumer to buy
more energy-efficient appliances, which will not only save his/her money but also be
beneficial for the power grid because of lesser load-utilisation.

But one problem with AMI-based electricity meters is that they require an efficient mobile
network in order to transmit data from a consumer’s home to the utility and vice-versa. A
patchy mobile network in some remote areas can result in power utilities getting no reading
from these smart meters. The Government, however, is working along with telecom
companies to sort this problem and ensure a seamless service to the consumers.

Source: https://www.xenius.in/move-over-amr-ami-is-here-now/

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