Friday, August 21, 2015

Save On Cost With Automated Meter Reading Billing Software

By Nancy Gardner


This is a technology that is widely used by power suppliers, water suppliers and gas suppliers to manage their power and water consumption and also help them to determine their production levels or optimal production levels. They involve automated data collection, reading status gauge and diagnostic of meters from these automated gadgets. The data collected has to be sent back to a central station for editing, trouble shooting and billing. The technology has enable the user to save on cost since they no longer have to travel to individual locations to be able to get the reading. Automated meter reading billing software is linked to database and it constantly updates the master file.

This real time data which is then processed to produce meaningful information can be helpful to utility providers and their clients, this is because they can control production and consumption of gas usage and production, water consumption and production and consumption of electric energy.

Automatic reader technology for meters includes handheld, radio frequency, wireless and technologies that use network and lastly power line transmission. Back then these devices were viewed as expensive but today due to technology advancement and awareness most clients are embracing it because of it economical benefits.

The satellite automated reader will be in touch with installed indicator so as to get the readings, readings are then sent through mobile satellite or fixed network. Narrow band and spread spectrum are mostly used technologies for automated reading for meters.

One type of handheld device is keypad entry where readers of these gauge read them manually and key in their readings in a handheld device. The reader then has to go back to the station and give the device to a clerk who downloads the device recorded data into electronic software for billing. This method is cost effective if applied in smaller cities where there are no many users to allow them benefit from time saving advantage of this device.

Automated meter hosting is an office remedy which enables the user to monitor closely his or her water or gas consumption from the comfort of their homes through the use of internet. Such system uses data which is collected and transmitted on real time basis and is managed in a database by software for data acquisition. The users only have to log in into the service providers website and view the information. Data from web application can be analyzed by use of analyzing tariffs, charting profiles and utility bill.

Another automated device that is in operation is the use of radio network frequency which comes in many forms. The common ones involve satellite and solutions based on fixed network.

These programs can be helpful for tenant billing. Such programs are used together with reading systems that are automatic for entirely automated billing. Manual gauge readers can be used to create invoices. They allow for several rates to be used simultaneously to different users. That is minimum charges, tax rates and fixed rates based on amount of kilowatts consumed.

This is not to mean that it does not support a single fixed rate for individual users. Demand billing and time billing are not handled by this program. Automated billing software can perform data logging as well and it advisable for energy providers to consider using them.




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