REM: Partnership unveils SAP gateway for smart meter at new ‘centre of excellence’

Solution enables smart customer relationship management

UK technology company Remote Energy Monitoring Ltd (REM) and its systems development partner Infotech Enterprises Ltd have unveiled a new interface between SAP’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and REM’s Smart Meter Operations Suite (SMOS).

The announcement came at the opening of a new Centre of Excellence in Holborn, London, where REM’s smart metering systems, solutions and meters can be put through their paces for prospective customers.

John Roberts, chairman of Remote Energy Monitoring Ltd, who opened the new Centre of Excellence with Infotech’s Chairman and Managing Director Mohan Reddy said: “This solution offers tremendous opportunities for utility suppliers who already use SAP within their businesses. AMI integration requires a specialist and hard to resource skill set, which can prove to be challenging even for high-profile system integration companies. Together, Infotech and REM have a proven SAP integration capability.”

President of Infotech’s Global UTG (Utilities, Telecommunications and Government) Business, John Renard agreed and stressed how this alliance will bring significant benefits for customers. He commented: “Our partnership with REM represents a strong combination of technology and services to address both smart metering and smart grid marketplaces. Combining REM’s award-winning and Ofgem-certified technologies with Infotech’s proven experience in delivering cost-effective implementation, integration and managed services to the Utility and Telecommunication sectors, this partnership provides an agile and robust platform to underpin significant return on investment.”

REM’s Chief Operating Officer, Steve Mitchell, added: “Our smart metering solutions provide a scalable and high-speed SAP AMI framework that can be used with SMOS’s advanced smart metering functionalist, offering energy suppliers certainty of outcome both in terms of solution delivery and investment return.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1.Remote Energy Monitoring is a smart metering and data management company. It designs, develops and deploys complete end-to-end smart metering solutions which help its customers – the UK’s energy supply companies - to increase consumer retention, improve operational efficiency and develop brand reach, while reducing consumer churn and bad debt. Chaired by John Roberts, former CEO of United Utilities plc, Remote Energy Monitoring is a UK company, with unrivalled experience in deploying smart metering solutions. Its meter development centre is in Australia, systems are developed in the UK and meters are manufactured in China. For more information, visit www.remuk.co.uk.
2.Founded in 1991, Infotech Enterprises Ltd is a Global IT services and solutions provider specialising in Engineering Services, Geographic Information Services (GIS) and IT services. It provides services to a wide range of industries - Aerospace, Rail, Automotive, Marine, Energy, Plant Engineering, Utilities, Telecom (operators), Government, Retail, Consumer Electronics, Medical Electronics, Semiconductor, Telecom (Manufacturers) and Computing industries. Infotech has a distinctive business model: “offshore services, onshore responsibility”. It operates “Centres of Excellence” such as the new Remote Energy Monitoring centre in London for leaders in key industries. It combines its extensive engineering design and solutions capability based in India with global delivery through its offices worldwide which provide local customer interface and project management. Many of Infotech’s clients are among the top Fortune 500 companies.

REM: Next-generation modular smart meter ready for European roll-out

Regulator approves future-proof multi-mode meter

A UK technology company’s advanced and future-proofed modular smart meter has been approved by the energy industry regulator OFGEM for deployment in millions of UK homes. The meter has received MID (Measuring Instruments Directive) approval meaning that it can be used in all the countries of the European Union.

Remote Energy Monitoring’s V2 multi-mode meter’s modular design means it can be adapted to advances in technology, ensuring that infrastructure investments can be made confidently for the longer term. It can be supplied in three variants - Smart-Ready, Smart-Lite and Full-Smart – with all being upgradable while in service, removing the need for replacement as the smart meter roll-out progresses. The meter also provides remote Prepayment and Pay-as-you-go solutions.

Nigel Rzemieniecki, Chief Executive Officer of UK technology company Remote Energy Monitoring, said: “Energy companies can install our new meter with its interchangeable and upgradable modules, and know that it can be adapted to meet whatever communications or other technology options they may choose in the future. We believe it is the most adaptable and enduring meter on the market, offering energy companies greater flexibility and asset life than any other”

The meter provides a complete end-to-end smart metering system when used with Remote Energy Monitoring’s Smart Metering Operations Suite (SMOS) software. LAN options include ZigBee low-power radio at 2.4GHz, with WAN options including GPRS. The communications modules are logically and physically separated from the metering module – permitting complete modularity and flexibility.

Other key features of the meter include:

• ‘always-on’ secure two-way communications

• prepayment, credit and pay-as-you-go modes

• remote meter reading at flexible frequencies

• ‘time of use’ consumption capture

• dynamic pricing with support for multiple smart tariffs

• debt recovery

• variable interval measurement

• import and export energy measurement

“Our new meter offers energy companies the most adaptable, fully functional, value-for-money product available on the market. It has advantages both for the energy suppliers and for their customers. Having achieved OFGEM and MID accreditation, we’re now ready to enable pan-European roll-out of smart metering technology,” added Nigel.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Remote Energy Monitoring is a smart metering and data management company. It designs, develops and deploys complete end-to-end smart metering solutions which help its customers – the UK’s energy supply companies - to increase consumer retention, improve operational efficiency and develop brand reach, while reducing consumer churn and bad debt. Chaired by John Roberts, former CEO of United Utilities plc, Remote Energy Monitoring is a UK company, with unrivalled experience in deploying smart metering solutions. Its meter development centre is in Australia, systems are developed in the UK and meters are manufactured in China. For more information, visit www.remuk.co.uk.

2. The Metering Instruments Directive came into effect in 2006 with the aim of creating a single European market in measuring instruments. Under the MID, an approved certificate is valid across the European Union.

REM adopts UMI to help future-proof its smart meter technology

UK ’smart meter’ technology company Remote Energy Monitoring Ltd has joined with other leading companies in licensing UMI^® (Universal Metering Interface) technology from Cambridge Consultants. UMI^® is an open standard for connecting smart metering communications and control modules within the meter.

By adopting this standard, REM is ensuring its metering products are ‘future-proofed’ as new communication modules provided either by REM or by other companies can be added to the REM modular meter either before deployment or when in use in consumers’ homes.

Nigel Rzemieniecki, REM’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our modular meter design is truly communication system agnostic. This gives our customers additional choice and protects them from technology obsolescence and technology change.”

Because the UMI^® communications module is entirely separate from the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID)-approved measurement components of the meter, there is no need to have the meter re-approved when communication interfaces are changed.

UMI^® has been developed by Cambridge Consultants and is now available as an open standard for adoption in smart metering products and communications modules.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Remote Energy Monitoring is a smart metering and data management company. It designs, develops and deploys complete end-to-end smart metering solutions which help its customers – the UK’s energy supply companies - to increase consumer retention, improve operational efficiency and develop brand reach, while reducing consumer churn and bad debt. Remote Energy Monitoring is a UK company, with unrivalled experience in deploying smart metering solutions. Its meter development centre is in Australia, systems are developed in the UK and meters are manufactured in China. For more information, visit www.remuk.co.uk.

1. UMI^® is designed to protect investment in metering installation by standardising the connection of smart metering communications and control modules inside the meter. These modules can be inserted when the meter is manufactured or when it is installed. Smart metering capabilities can then be upgraded during the operating life of the meter. The same meter platform can also be used across a number of countries with UMI modules added according to national legislation, business or market requirements. UMI^® has been developed by Cambridge Consultants and is now available as an open standard for adoption in smart metering products and communications modules. For more information see www.cambridgeconsultants/umi or email alistair.morfey@cambridgeconsultants.com. UMI and the UMI logo are trademarks of Cambridge Consultants Limited, registered in the UK.

ES Pipelines: ES Pipelines supports Fuel Poverty Action Day (03/02/10)

ES Pipelines is supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2010 - a national campaign which aims to highlight the effects of living in a cold home on people’s health.

Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, run by National Energy Action (NEA) and sponsored by EDF Energy, takes place on 12th February and has received backing from high-profile health professional Dr Miriam Stoppard and the Government’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.

Having just experienced the most severe winter in over 30 years, the campaign aims to draw attention to the health problems caused by living in a cold, damp home and urges vulnerable people to keep their heating on until winter ends and temperatures start to warm up.

Last winter temperatures remained as low as minus 6 degrees well into March, leading to concerns that people may have been risking their health by turning their heating off too early in order to save money on their fuel bills.

Nick Clark Development Director of ES Pipelines, said: “Living in a cold damp home can lead to extremely poor health, especially in those who are vulnerable such as older people, young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed and those with long terms sickness and disabilities.

“It is important that people know that there are schemes in place to help them, and to ensure they are keeping warm and healthy throughout the winter period and for as long as the cold weather lasts. Fuel Poverty Awareness day is about acknowledging the issues, helping people to understand the links between fuel poverty and poor health, and making them aware of the help that is available to ensure they are kept warm and well.

“The most important message is that there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone who is concerned about their fuel bill to contact their energy supplier or to call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to access help and advice on staying warm when it is cold without the fear of fuel debt and ill health.”

REM: Savings of £100+ per annum for consumers are achievable

UK technology company Remote Energy Monitoring Ltd (REM) today welcomed the Government’s decision to introduce smart metering technology to UK homes and small businesses. It pointed out that choosing the latest technology could result in more rapid delivery of higher savings for consumers than the latest Government estimates.

John Roberts, Chairman of REM, said: “This is a major step forward and will enable better energy management in homes and businesses. REM has developed a smart meter that exceeds the industry’s requirements and offers a flexible and future-proofed solution for energy suppliers. Our system also provides the information intelligence technology to help consumers make the right decisions to save on energy costs.“

The company also welcomed the Government’s requirement that real time information is made available in a readily accessible form in addition to fixed in-home displays.

REM has developed a multi-channel access technology that allows users to select a channel of choice - TV, mobile phone or computer. In each case, consumers are provided with energy information intelligence in a meaningful and relevant way - for example daily usage balances sent by SMS to the consumer’s mobile each morning, exception reports based on user set energy budgets sent to the TV and, for the more sophisticated user, bill forecasting based on demographics and weather forecasts provided via the home computer.

REM believes its technology provides a fast track to annual average savings of circa £100, compared to the latest Government estimate of £28, and a much more rapid payback of the investment in smart meters.

The required level of investment is massive and to help protect this investment REM has developed a modular meter which allows communications modules for both the WAN and LAN to be interchanged. This future-proofed technology, in which REM believes it leads the world, will be of key importance over the next year while the details of the central communication hub are finalised.

A heavy hand for Facebook

Last week I was contacted by a journalist on a UK national newspaper for my views on the latest controversy to hit social networking site Facebook.

A small number of employees of some of our larger ‘high street’ retailers had been found to have made ‘rude’ comments about some of their customers on their Facebook walls. Employers had generally taken a stern line and, in some cases, sacked those employees involved. I was asked as an issues management ‘expert’ for my view on what companies should do.

This is an example of Human Resources and Corporate Comms failing to keep up with the latest ways people communicate. Facebook is used by people to keep in touch with family and friends. The problem arises when comments are made in writing which can be deemed offensive. In the past, employees could ‘let off steam’ by talking with their mates down the pub or over a coffee - now they can be lured by the ease of making a comment on Facebook or Twitter instead.

While the brand damage caused by a couple of drunken comments was, clearly, limited, exposure on sites such as these can leave companies open to criticism.

New rules need to be written about how much influence a company expects to have over its employees in their personal time and appropriate disciplinary action taken where necessary.

But, more importantly, companies should ask themselves why their employees feel the need to vent their frustrations on such sites. Is there something management could and should be doing to listen and act on such views before they become public? Perhaps a ‘Facebook-style’ forum on a company intranet, better communications channels to management or improved awareness of customer issues could all be explored.

It may be unrealistic to expect any company to effectively police its employees comments out of the workplace. But employees need to understand the consequences of making comments which could damage their employer’s reputation. And both groups need to work out ways to tackle the underlying issues which lead to such comments in the first place.

ES Pipelines: Mortimer residents get financial incentives to switch (3/4/09)