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By Gert Skriver, Corporate Editor, Kamstrup SMART HEAT METERING WITH CONSUMER RELATED SERVICES Automatic functions in smart energy meters secure both consumer comfort and operation efficiency.
• Leak Surveillance is an intelligent feature which informs the utility in case of leakage. An additional flow sensor (V2) is mounted in the outlet pipe which allows the meter to compare mass in inlet with mass in outlet. If the comparison shows an imbalance an alert is sent via the AMR-system. • By adding an adding an extra temperature sensor to the Leak Surveillance system it is possible to monitor the meter accuracy and generate reports on errors and deviances. The feature is known as Automatic Meter Fleet Surveillance. • Automatic Leak Protection is also based on the Leak Surveillance system: with a serial data connection to the DanTaet valve control-system (a third part operator) the district energy installation can be automatically shut off in case of leakage. • Valve Control: the energy meter can control a motor- operated valve – a so called PQT-limiter – for projects requiring power or flow control.
The smart energy meter’s interface with end-consumers is mainly characterized by its discreet manner of working. The integrated intelligence works behind the façade from where it provides consumers and users with higher comfort and economic improvements by offering automatic operations, often via third party applications. The following pages offer a peek behind the façade and reveal two intelligent and very consumer oriented functions: automatic leak protection and automatic valve control. Due to micro processing technology and a modular construction the electronic energy meter offers an array of extra optional functions besides the basic supply of legal data for billing. The energy counter producing consumption data with the purpose of charging the customer for the amount of consumed energy constitutes the unchangeable core of the energy meter; but with the vast amount and the high density of consumption data which are being logged and made available in different registers, a number of possibilities for extra functions open up. These extra functions make the energy meter into a programmable and very flexible tool which is capable of increasing comfort and improving economy for utilities as well as for end-consumers. The energy meter is no longer just a cash register, but virtually a computer that monitors and controls the energy supply at the farthest ends of the supply line. MULTIFUNCTIONAL INSTRUMENT The following short overview of some of the extra functions gives an idea of the energy meter as a multifunctional instrument. On the one hand it provides utilities with analyzing tools for operational optimization and a smoother work flow; and on the other hand it provides consumers with extra services enabled by meter data. • Remote Counter is a basic form of remote meter reading where an energy or volume pulse is corresponded by one count. • Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) denotes the possibility via communication modules using various protocols to connect the energy meter to data collection systems, communication networks or building management systems. • Analogue Outputs are used for cabled connection to different pointer displays. The parameters to be displayed can be defined by the operator. • The 12V auxiliary power supply in the MULTICAL 801 energy meter enables supply of power to passive meters.
Graphical overview of the energy meter’s extra functions.
Some of these functions are intelligent which means that the meter or connected applications are programmed to carry out actions on the basis of registered consumption data. Thus interfacing intelligently with consumers the energy meter ensures a more efficient operation and additional services without actually involving the consumer in the metering system. The last two functions on the list, Automatic Leak Protection and Valve Control, are particularly related to end-consumers and share the common characteristic that they add extra intelligence and value to the district heating system, and that the interface between consumer and system installation is in a way characterized by its invisibility and subtleness.
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