When the smart meter programme was initially announced, it was applauded for its great intentions: creating energy savings, removing the complexity and ambiguity of energy bills, and improving consumers’ management of energy use with a real-time data display on the premises. Since then, the road to smart meters has been rocky; several major utilities have warned the cost to consumers will be £1.8 billion. The answer lies in the collaborative use of location intelligence.
Currently, the electricity and gas industries use different meter identifiers to distinguish between customers and there is no link between them. The only way of linking the gas and electricity identifiers is by matching associated addresses. But the gas and power industries differ in how they define an address: for electricity it is the meter location, while for gas it is the premise address. Some premises have no postal address. On top of all of that there are issues over address data quality.
In order to eliminate inconsistency, inefficiency and unnecessary costs in meter rollout, we need to give addresses a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). A unique identifier for all premises giving a precise and accurate location for metering assets would mean accurate planning and eliminate unnecessary costs generated by inaccuracies. Such an identifier is available and is currently used by government and private organisations, such as water companies and insurers. A spatial reference for every customer premise could be used across energy providers as a single reference linking all household meters and eliminating the need to match multiple datasets – with its attendant risk to commercial confidentiality.
Location information, allied to a shared address database, could enable suppliers to streamline planning and smooth the rollout, but it would require energy providers to work together for the benefit of consumers. Geographic information pulls together disparate data, including social and economic indicators, to reveal trends and patterns. This is paramount for the smart meter rollout and any effort to co-ordinate the management and sustainability of critical national infrastructure. Location information data can also help utilities prioritise by providing information on, for instance, customers who live in high-rise flats, fuel poverty clusters, or people who have solar panels.
Taking a longer-term view beyond the rollout, shared geographic information resources could form the basis of powerful analytical capabilities to enable suppliers to get the most out of the newly installed smart technology.
Marc Hobell, director GIS/LIM EMEA, Pitney Bowes