Added value services through the use of AMR in commercial and industrial accounts

The intimate association of automatic meter reading (AMR) with the process of “meter reading” narrows the vision of what AMR is really about. It also helps to explain the apparent success of AMR (particularly in the US) but also the relatively slow rate of expansion. Furthermore, the link with “meter reading” restricts the range of the audience which vendors usually address. The target would usually be the Customer Services/Metering Manager rather than the Network/Engineering Manager or, with the development of separate energy trading business, the Supply Manager. As well as the vendors failing to establish this link, the connection is often absent within utilities themselves. Separate departments therefore seek their own unique technologies for data handling when a solution already exists. The author discusses AMR applications, the benefits of two way communication in metering, AMR developments, and the benefits of AMR to commercial and industrial users