A win-win solution
Implementing the Government's Resolution on E-Government which includes the direction of “Applying information technology, installing smart meters in Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), striving towards developing an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)”, EVN’s member units have developed roadmaps for installing electronic meters integrated with a remote data collection system for each year.
According to experts, this technology will help people in monitoring their monthly power consumption and electricity bills without having to “wait at the door” for to record the consumed power amount as before. On the other hand, with this new metering system, customers can monitor their status of power consumption and consumed power amount at anytime and anywhere through the customer care application installed in their phone or digital devices. This helps customers to be fully proactive in appropriately adjusting their use of power, aiming to bring the highest efficiency of power use to customers.
At the same time, the application of electronic meters also improves data transparency and communication with customers. Besides, through online data tracking, the Power sector would promptly detect incidents in order to solve them as promptly as possible. The quality of power supplied to customers is also improved and maintained stable.
EVN’s representative said that the electronic meters provide higher accuracy and require low power consumption, resulting in power saving. They are also integrated with the communication technologies to support remote automatic meter reading. The implementation of telemetry prevents power units from assigning their employees to collect electricity meter data, reducing the risk of labour accidents while recording indexes and managing meters, ensuring accurate meter reading, contributing to increasing labour productivity. The data collection by this method is performed promptly for calculating electricity bills, monitoring and reducing power loss, monitoring power quality, calculating and improving the reliability indicators of power supply, monitoring the operation status of substations and wires, helping improve the grid safety.
Power company’s workers installing remote meters for people. Source: ITN
Implementing synchronous replacement
Implementing EVN's policy on the transparentizing meter data, since 2018, Da Nang Power Company has completed the installation of 100% electronic meters to all its customers, applying the remote data transmission system. This Company is the first unit under the Central Power Corporation (EVNCPC) to apply daily electricity data lookup software and provide trial use to customers. This system automatically alerts the power consumption on the basis of the development of the telemetry system. Along with the tentative calculation of electricity bills based on the recorded output with a chart on comparing the power consumption with that of the last 2 months and that of the same period in the last year, this tool also automatically alerts power outputs once exceeding the set threshold, sending the information to the customer via Email and SMS.
Mr. Bui Trung Kien, Deputy General Director of Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC), said that, currently, the unit is implementing replacing normal meters with electric ones with the function of transmitting telemetry data in the form of successive installation without charge, for the objective of improving the quality of infrastructure, striving towards better customer services.
EVNHCMC’s representatives said that all electricity meters with the function of transmitting telemetry data are procured by the Corporation in the form of competitive bidding and in compliance with Bidding Law’s provisions. In particular, the technical specifications for the procurement of meters are determined in compliance with Vietnam Electricity’s requirements, international electrical technical standards IEC:62052-11, IEC:62053-21 and Vietnam’s technical regulations on measurement management. Before being installed for customers, all meters shall be approved based on qualified samples and inspected under the inspection procedures issued by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (DLVN 39:2012). The Power sector only installs meters with satisfactory testing results in order to ensure accurate operation and use.
In case of any question, customers could directly call EVN’s customer care center. The center will notify the power company to assign employees to the customer's house, performing checking and handle the failure within one day or less.