Technical Articles
In the present-day world energy has become a precious resource for all. The standard payment collection model generally employed is to charge customers with bills based on energy consumption from the previous month/equivalent period. This involves the hassles of recording energy readings from all individual meters spread across the facility and collecting payment from customers
Considering the above issues with Post Paid solutions, Prepaid solutions are a boon for the entire ecosystem. Various methods exist for achieving this.
Token or PIN is one of the methods of payment solutions used in the metering ecosystem. Here, the consumer could buy a ticket, including a token number from dedicated locations with the software hosted in a cloud server. Alternatively, some solutions allow customers to reload using a magnetic strip card via a dedicated vendor machine. However apart from the recharging hassles of all these conventional token based method, customer has only balance amount information. They do not have any other information on metering parameters neither any analytics.
For Indian states that give the option to developer for HT metering at incomer and sub metering for tenants, prepaid solutions is a good option to consumers who want to manage their consumption in a better way and optimise their budget allocation. These types of prepaid services are well-known within the telecommunication markets. They allow consumers to control their budget and obtain full transparency of consumption hence consumers will not receive an unpleasant surprise when they receive monthly invoices.
Integrated Prepaid Metering Solutions with wired or wireless is a cost-effective way with server maintained at site itself. The prepaid meters with RS485 port are wired for every tenant. Connection with the central server in the facility is done with the help of shielded twisted pair cables in a loop consisting of 16-20 meters to a RS485 to Ethernet gateway. SmartComm EMS with Prepaid module is installed, and every tenant’s meter is configured respectively.
These prepaid meters are available with the facility of connection or disconnection of the electric supply based on the credit amount balance in the meter with the help of an internal relay for switching. Once the balance reaches zero, the meter will cut off the supply. If the user exceeds contact/sanctioned load (in kVA), the prepaid meter can trip the load accordingly.
The system is quite flexible to take into account the maintenance charges based on area or fixed amount, Monthly billing with breakup of EB/DG consumption. Energy consumption is logged for every 15 minutes which enables the Facility Manager to provide any clarification in future.
Recharge can be done by customers either by paying cash/cheque at the facility management location or through online options like Paytm, debit card, etc. The online recharge options will ensure that it can be used for the specific user (meter) only thereby avoiding theft or unauthorized use. Recharge is common for EB and DG consumption.
Local facility recharges have the provision of Happy hours. Happy hours comprise of those hours outside the working hours of the administration including public holidays and weekends. In case the user account credit gets exhausted in the evening after working hours then a certain amount of credit facility is available to avoid supply disconnection till the beginning of the working hours on the subsequent working day to avail uninterrupted supply. It is also possible to have different credit facility for different users.
Individual customers have couple of options to monitor their energy consumption based on the networking architecture.
On top of these the property builder or Facility Manager gets the benefit of no post-paid billing or non-payment hassles.
There are two different aspects regarding security. The first one is to secure the meter itself, and the second one is to secure the payment solution. Meter has the provision for sealing to ensure that meter is not tampered with adequate password protection features.
The token recharge communication between the meter and SmartComm EMS PC is completely encrypted. For an enhanced level of security, SSL certificate can be installed in the PC. Credentials management for each user is maintained in the software. The software can also be hosted on third party cloud service providers like Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft Azure, etc.
Energy should be used and managed in a smart way: minimising and optimising consumption with utmost importance to secure the metering device and associated payment solution. Prepaid solutions with Pay as you go approach is leading the way towards this initiative.
The user with the ability to use a mobile phone to interact with the prepayment platform is a major beneficiary of SmartComm EMS Prepaid solutions. Payment information appears as relevant added data. And all these services are available with a single device - the mobile handset.
Based on experience with real time data and with the option of payment via a mobile handset for better flexibility, this could prove the best solution to manage energy efficiency.
Divyesh B. Vaghasiya,
Senior Product Management and Marketing professionalDivyesh B. Vaghasiya is a Senior Product Management and Marketing professional focused on Industrial IoT, Energy Management, and Smart Technologies. With 13+ years of experience in the electrical and automation industry, he combines deep technical knowledge with strategic business thinking. He shares perspectives on emerging technologies, product management, sustainability, and digital transformation, helping businesses navigate the evolving energy landscape.
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