Utilities and two-way customer communication systems

The concept of providing energy conservation programs with monitoring and control via two-way communication (TWCC) systems will be one of the solutions that utilities will employ in the conservation of the nation´s valuable natural resources. The development of microelectronic technology is changing the manner in which meters will be read. There are many methods currently available in the market that enable retrieval of data remotely from a customer´s premise. The potential of this technology and its applications can be endless. In the area of automatic meter reading (AMR), current technology is in a state of evolution where no single method excels. Development of the new “information superhighway” industry is likely to promote standards based upon open systems and open protocols. Current AMR technologies are described