This new white paper outlines how energy and water companies can build better relationships with customers in the process of rolling out smart meters in electric utilities, as well as scheduling installation and maintenance visits with customers causing as little disruption to their daily activities as possible.
Considering the increasing risk of drought in the UK and higher energy costs, customers now need to have more control over their water and energy usage than ever before. An advanced metering infrastructure provides excellent opportunities for improving both consumption monitoring and energy efficiency.
Nevertheless, energy and water companies are dealing with a two-fold challenge consisting of customer and asset matters. To convince people to adopt advanced meters, utilities need to show how their use contributes to sustainability and address consumers’ consumption concerns. At the same time, asset management should be improved to make sure smart meters are properly installed and maintenance processes are efficient.
In order to get the best results from smart meter deployment, utility companies are required to tackle the obstacles that come with the adoption of electric meters and make sure that field agents, who carry out installations and manage asset maintenance, are properly equipped for the job and satisfy customers’ rising expectations and demand.
Working together with Utility Week, OverIT has issued this report that covers several key topics, such as: