SEMMS-open architecture, open standards communications

The principle task of an energy meter (electricity, gas, heat, water) is to measure the quantity of energy which is imported or exported and make the measured values available for billing purposes. The structural changes taking place in the utility industries requires the meter to provide an enlarged scope of performance and a wider range of functionality. The paper describes the way in which communications systems for metering will converge to enable compatibility and interoperability to be obtained whatever the communications medium or combination of media chosen by the user. The Siemens Energy Metering and Management System (SEMMS) is a modular range of remote metering and energy management systems designed to meet the needs of energy utilities and suppliers into the 21st Century. Individual SEMMS configurations may incorporate a wide variety of functional capabilities and communications media on an adaptive basis in order to meet the individual requirements of all parties involved in the energy supply from the customer to the provider. Using open architecture, open standards communications coherently from the customer equipment for metering to the mainframe for billing SEMMS is able to suit the developing market place due to original structural changes and can therefore bridge from a regulated to a deregulated environment