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Smart Meters
Utilities around the world are considering their strategies for smart meter roll outs, but to achieve the right smart metering solution at the right time and for the right cost is a significant challenge.
Achieving the best return from smart meters
To improve return on metering investment, Sentec offers a different option from traditional off-the-shelf procurement. We provide a bespoke smart meter development service, where the meter is developed to meet specific operational needs, balancing each operator’s unique functional requirements with the lowest possible total cost of ownership.
Joining Sentec’s decades of smart meter design expertise with manufacturing techniques pioneered in consumer electronics markets offers the right product, in the right quantities, at the right time, for a reduced total cost. Overall, a highly attractive return on investment.
Smart metering solutions
Each utility will have its own functional challenges, some of which may require innovative solutions. To meet these challenges Sentec can, if required, provide its own proprietary sensing and metrology hardware for licensing or bespoke meter development.
These technologies are solid state (with no moving parts), and provide solutions with excellent measurement performance and which can be incorporated into smart meter designs that are reliable and cost effective compared to designs based on traditional sensing technologies. For many specific functional requirements such as tamper resistance (electricity) or providing cut off valves (gas) they offer by far the most practical and affordable solution.
For more information on our class leading solutions, please follow the links to the solutions section of our website:
Electricity – Mobius
A high quality metrology solution providing faster development, lower cost and better functionality. Installed in over 8 million electricity meters in North America and used in OnStream’s UK smart meters launched in the UK.
Gas – Lattice
A solid state sensor offering high durability, low power and high accuracy and a smaller footprint than traditional gas meters. Opens the door to affordable smart gas meter designs
Water – Sterling
Offering truly smart water metering, with high accuracy even at low flow rates over the full lifetime, no moving parts to jam or wear, and exceptional functionality. Smart water meters with this technology are rolling out now in North America.
Real time operating system – Breeze
Sentec provides in-house designed specialised smart metering firmware to accelerate development:-
- Fully upgradeable for applications to be added in-situ after deployment
- Unique energy saving features catering for battery powered meters
Sentec’s development team
Requirements for smart meter functionality are demanding and likely to become more complex as future smart grid applications have an impact. Our technical team consists of experienced and highly qualified engineers and scientists who have worked on smart meter designs for many applications in many territories, integrated with a huge variety of communications solutions. In addition they have also developed considerable expertise in technologies for other smart grid applications and have a keen understanding of smart metering developments necessary to operate alongside such technology.
Sentec has the expertise and experience from feasibility study and design through to type approval and production, including areas such as:
- Sensors
- Metrology
- Power management
- Firmware and upgrades
- Disconnect
- Mechanical design
- Display
- Communications
- Security
- Selecting and managing CEMs
Track record
Over 8 million meters, with our sensors and hardware design inside, are in the field. Sentec has the practical experience to enable the success of your smart metering programme. Our case studies page includes many examples of our work in the field.
- Case Study
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Unlocking the Smart Meter Market
At the beginning of the decade, solid state smart metering designs were becoming the norm, offering improvements in accuracy and stability over traditional mechanical meters, but at a cost. Sentec had…
