ATLANTA, July 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Prepaid metering has seen several potentially positive changes over the past two years including new offerings designed to make it more attractive for utilities. But despite at least mild interest from utilities, serious obstacles such as cost and opposition from regulators and consumer advocacy groups continue to stymie the growth of prepaid metering in the United States, states a new report from energy research leader Chartwell Inc.
One major AMR player is looking to marry prepay with its increasingly popular AMR system in part to ease back-office integration issues related to prepay systems, states The Chartwell Prepaid Metering Report 2005, 3rd Ed. Another vendor touts new possibilities for kiosks. One vendor is offering a keypad approach while one company is offering a wireless system that eliminates cards or keypads.
Many utilities in the U.S. are interested in prepaid programs, but less than 5% of utilities offer prepay, according to Chartwell's AMR utility surveys from 2002 to 2004. In fact, the percentage of utilities considering prepay has dropped from 24% to 15% over the past two years, states The Chartwell Prepaid Metering Report, 3rd Ed. But after three consecutives years of no utilities planning prepay programs, 3% of utilities in 2004 said they plan to offer prepay.
Two case studies in the report focus on what appear to be the nation's most popular prepaid metering programs in the United States - those at Phoenix-based Salt River Project and Brunswick (N.C.) EMC. Another case study describes how a Texas co-op is looking to attract 3,000 of its 30,000 members to its new prepay program. The report also includes two chapters of in-depth analysis.
The Prepaid Metering Report 2005, 3rd Ed., which is part of Chartwell's Metering Research Series, costs $395. The Metering Research Series is the only unbiased and continuous research service devoted exclusively to the AMR industry. Annual series membership can include access to:
-- 30 AMR-related reports;
-- AMR-related reports released during the membership term,
most with at least two utility case studies;
-- monthly Intelligence Updates on AMR trends and technologies; and
-- past and current annual reports focusing on AMR surveys of
100-plus utilities.
For more information about The Chartwell Prepaid Metering Report 2005, 3rd Ed. or The Metering Research Series, please contact Bill Grist at (800) 432-5879 or (404) 237-9099, or visit www.energylibrary.com.