We have discussed both the STS and AMI methods of metering. Now we can discuss the aspect of management and because we are talking about prepayment, the task of vending to meters. Once your meters are installed, your meter management system will become your main interface. The management system is a hosted and managed system. The advantage of this is:
• No information technology skills to keep it running.
• No software to install and configure, all you need is an internet connection and a web browser.
• Anywhere anytime access.
Meters, whether they are STS or AMI, need to be registered on the management system before they are actually installed. There are a few reasons for this:
• Meter numbers need to be associated with service locations and customers.
• Tariffs are set on the system and not on the meters.
• Meters that are registered to the system can be supported by support staff, meters that are not registered, cannot be supported.
A registered meter requires a number of parameters to be set. The core of registration and basic parameters are comprised of three components:
• The service location - this is the actual address of the property or section within the scheme.
• The meter - this is the actual meter installed at the service location.
• The customer - the person who is paying for services at the service location.
Planning which service location, meter and customer are associated will help plan the meter installations so that the information displayed on the system correlates with the actual information found on the ground. For example, the meter number listed on the system for unit 5 of the scheme is the same one you would find if you were to physically visit the unit.
The most obvious and important thing about registering meters before installation is that it is possible to vend to a registered meter. It is not possible to vend to an unregistered meter because there is no communication via tokens or network to the vending system. The method for vending to a meter is dependent on the type of meter installed. If the meter is an STS meter then a token number is needed and must be entered to the meter via keypad. If the meter is ขายอาคารพาณิชย์ an AMI device then nothing needs to be done, the information will automatically be sent to the meter. There are therefore two challenges that need to be overcome, regardless of whether the metering equipment is STS or AMI:
• Purchasing - Customers must be able to make payments.
• Vending - Systems must convey a purchase to the meter device.
• Cash Payment, • Bank Cash Deposit, • Credit Card, • Mobile Commerce
There are also two methods of management:
• Self-Managed,
• Outsource Managed
These management methods define how revenue collection will be performed.
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