The new meter generation-your insurance against stranded investment

The wave of liberalisation sweeping the electric utility industry has important impacts on metering. Liberalisation causes utilities to seek ways to retain their customers (particularly industrial/commercial customers) and to improve internal efficiency. Both these imperatives require improved customer account management solutions supporting the commercial business processes of the utility. The improvement of the "meter to bill" process requires substantial investment into communication infrastructure, terminal units, meters and central stations. However, investment decisions are difficult in an environment where the precise future requirements are not known. Experience from the computer industry shows that a "stranded investment" can be avoided by choosing a system which is open and supported by multiple manufacturers.