The Intelligent Future of Data: Smart Metering Case Study

With companies constantly looking for ways to optimize their costs, intelligent solutions such as smart metering are exactly what they need. As a comprehensive system, smart metering is an innovative tool that can (and already is) helping businesses around the globe take care of their utilities.

The potential behind smart metering

This means that, by utilizing the solution, businesses can reduce meter reading costs, improve outage management and restoration, set up systems for early alerts about likely leaks and breakdowns, drive energy efficiency and reduce energy theft. With an intelligent solution such as smart metering, companies can learn about their utilities and their usage, without having to carry out costly operations each time.

But how does it work? What are the concrete benefits that smart metering can bring to your company right at this moment. Discover our smart metering use case.

Comarch Smart Metering case study

Over a year ago, Comarch, after winning a bid for digitization at a water supply company in the United Arab Emirates, undertook the creation of an innovative IoT system that operates in extremely difficult desert conditions, in sewer maintenance entrances located between two and eight meters underground.

Comarch Smart Metering is a solution for reading data remotely from water, heating, gas and electricity meters. Installed in the Emirates waterworks, it opened up huge opportunities for the utilities industry. It has been operating successfully for over a year.

Devices, cloud and connectivity

Smart Metering systems are based on a combination of three elements:

• Devices (which download data)
• Cloud solutions (where data are stored)
• Connectivity (communication technologies through which data are transmitted)

The solution consists of small, battery-operated devices (Comarch M-BUS – NB IoT Gateway). These devices are connected to meters by cable (to avoid disintegration). They collect consumption data at certain levels, and send this information to the IoT Platform.

The customer, able to monitor this information constantly, can manage infrastructure and resources effectively, conduct sustainable water management, and prevent failures and leaks. They are also able to make consumption forecasts, which in turn translates into savings.

A new generation of remote meter reading thanks to cooperation with a telco operator

Our smart metering solution is based on the use of entirely new technology for data transmission - Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) technology, which was launched in consultation with the local telecommunications operator. This made it possible to transmit meter and telemetry data in a secure and stable manner. Narrowband allows up to 20 dB (100x) better penetration of the signal compared to 2G (GSM). The solution can be used in hard-to-reach places (such as underground), and anywhere without access to electricity, which enables you to transfer data at a level that was previously impossible. The use of Narrowband-IoT was one of the first implementations of this type in the world, and opened up huge opportunities for the entire utilities sector, including water, gas, heating and electricity suppliers.

Business and operational benefits of smart metering

Thanks to the implementation of Comarch Smart Metering, and the cooperation with telco operators, utilities companies have, for the first time, better access to information and a greater ability to manage and utilize it. The solution provides measurable value, which allows the public utilities sector to rationalize resource management, gives real business benefits, and helps the construction of smart cities.

If you’d like to learn more about our smart metering case study, and find out how to monetize the potential behind Narrowband-IoT, download the PDF material for free!