Smart metering and home automation solutions for the next decade

This paper emphasizes the use of the smart metering and home automation technologies for efficient utilization of energy, thus paving the way for a cleaner and greener environment for future generations. Next decade will revolutionize smart metering, Information and communications technology (ICT) and home automation by making it affordable, efficient and within the common man´s reach. World over, tremendous work is going on in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Smart Metering and Home Automation. Short distance Radio Frequency (RF) technologies like ZigBee^#, Z-Wave^#, Low Power Radio and Distribution Line Carrier (DLC) are ready to enter every household as the Home Area Network (HAN) of the future. Countries like USA, Australia and Italy etc have already started using AMI solutions while countries like China, South Korea, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Ireland and UK are in process of implementing AMI [9]. In India under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reform Program (R-APDRP), in the XI five year plan, smart metering and ICT solutions have been planned to increase efficiency, loss reduction, reduce energy theft and for efficient data collection for better energy accounting in the electrical sector. This is the beginning of the AMI in India [12].