Priya Patel
TLDR:
– Utilities considering large-scale advanced metering projects need to carefully consider the long-term costs associated with managing and maintaining the system.
– Implementing advanced metering in-house can involve significant upfront costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, and the risk of budget overruns.
– Metering-as-a-service solutions offer a comprehensive approach to advanced metering, providing benefits such as cost savings, risk mitigation, and improved meter maintenance practices.
As utilities consider deploying large-scale advanced metering projects, it is essential to consider the long-term costs associated with managing and maintaining these systems. Implementing an advanced metering program in-house can involve significant upfront capital, ongoing maintenance expenses, and the risk of unexpected budget overruns.
Metering-as-a-service solutions, however, offer a comprehensive approach to advanced metering that can maximize the financial value of these projects. In a new eBook by Water Finance & Management staff and Utility Metering Solutions (UMS), the benefits of traditional advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), smarter meter maintenance practices, risk mitigation, and everything you need to know about metering-as-a-service solutions are explored.
One of the major advantages of metering-as-a-service solutions is cost savings. These solutions eliminate the need for upfront capital investment, allowing utilities to adopt advanced metering without a significant financial burden. Additionally, metering-as-a-service providers typically offer comprehensive maintenance plans, reducing ongoing maintenance costs and providing utilities with more predictable budgeting.
Risk mitigation is another important factor to consider when implementing advanced metering. Metering-as-a-service solutions can help utilities mitigate the risks associated with technology obsolescence, meter failures, and data security breaches. By outsourcing advanced metering to a provider with expertise in managing and maintaining these systems, utilities can minimize these risks and ensure the ongoing success of their metering program.
Metering-as-a-service solutions also offer improved meter maintenance practices. These providers often deploy advanced metering infrastructure with built-in remote monitoring and diagnostics capabilities, allowing for proactive maintenance and quick issue resolution. This can help utilities reduce meter downtime, improve customer service, and optimize system performance.
In conclusion, utilities considering large-scale advanced metering projects should carefully evaluate the long-term costs and risks associated with managing and maintaining these systems. Metering-as-a-service solutions offer a comprehensive approach that can maximize the financial value of these projects. By providing cost savings, risk mitigation, and improved meter maintenance practices, metering-as-a-service solutions can ensure the success of advanced metering programs while minimizing financial burdens and operational risks for utilities.
