In 2016, the government announced plans to rollout smart meters to every home in the UK giving every UK business the chance to get on board by the end of 2020. We explore the differences between the two most common utility meters, smart meters and AMRs and which might best benefit property developers and managers.
The major distinction between AMR and smart meter devices is the amount, type, and regularity of the data they send.
While AMR communication is one way – consumer to supplier – the smart meter feeds back information to the user too. This is beneficial because the data pool of a smart meter is much richer and more actionable as a result.
AMR will only send kWh data and possibly peak demand data on a monthly basis. smart meters give a picture that includes cumulative kW use, daily usage, peak demand, and time of use.
Which of these is most suitable for your needs depends on your supplier’s discretion. The government has released guidelines to all energy suppliers in order to navigate those differing needs for all domestic and small business customers by the end of 2021.
The commercial applications of automatic metering technology are obvious: reduced energy waste, greater efficiency, better informed budgeting etc. However from the domestic viewpoint, and specifically that of property managers, they are less direct but no less potent.
Take billing disputes for example. Mainly, they are caused by a lack of information, often at the supplier end, leading to miscalculation and unhappy residents.
This is where metering comes in; providing real time data to suppliers based on current usage rather than historical patterns means that customers will only be charged for the units they’ve actually used rather than those they were predicted to.
Welcome Energy provides an expert AMR installation service of heat meters, as well as hot/cold water, electricity, and gas meters. Our meters are compatible with a variety of network platforms and can be established already fully connected to our billing and management systems.
If you are looking for help in managing your billing process or simply for stronger data sets to support it, get in touch.