ATLANTA, Dec. 16, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Talk to customers. Offer free trials. And keep tweaking services. Those are among the ways utilities can ensure successful automated meter reading (AMR) programs for their commercial/industrial customers, according to AMR for C&I Customers 2005 -- the latest report from utility research leader Chartwell Inc.
In part because AMR first made inroads for large industrial applications, there are a lot of lessons to be learned, states the report, including:
-- Continually investigate the latest technologies to see if
they could improve current processes;
-- Have customers test programs;
-- Get satisfied customers to talk to new prospects;
-- Be creative -- consider alternatives including making
vendors responsible for such things as customer
recruitment, hardware installation, data collection and
analysis;
-- Be aware that some customers will find energy usage
information helpful initially, but not thereafter; and
-- Multiple-service utilities may want to use multiple
technologies.
AMR for C&I Customers 2005 also reveals that about the same number of utilities have AMR for commercial/industrial meters as do for residential. About 69% of utilities now cite specific deployments for residential customers while 66% listed C&I deployments, according to Chartwell's 2004 AMR survey of 119 utilities.
The 71-page report also features information about the cost of deploying AMR for large users as well as case studies describing how three utilities -- Con Edison, PPL Electric Utilities and Progress Energy -- collect and present data to their commercial/industrial customers. Profiles of 18 vendors offering related products and services are included in the report.
AMR for C&I Customers 2005, which is available for $395, is part of Chartwell's Metering Research Series -- the only unbiased and continuous research service devoted exclusively to the AMR industry. Starting at $3195 annually, Chartwell's Metering Research Series provides members with:
-- AMR-related reports released during the membership
term -- most with at least two utility case studies;
-- monthly intelligence reports on AMR trends and
technologies; and
-- an annual report focusing on Chartwell's latest AMR
survey of 100-plus utilities.
For more information about AMR for C&I Customers 2005 or The Metering Research Series, please contact Bill Grist at (404) 237-9099 or bgrist@chartwellinc.com, or visit www.energylibrary.com.