Provision of Advance Meter Reading (AMR) Services for Electricity SSE Business Contract Customers

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1 Provision of Advance Meter Reading (AMR) Services for Electricity SSE Business Contract Customers

2 In line with the Government s commitment to reduce carbon emissions through lowering energy consumption, SSE fully support customers in installing AMR meters. SSE supply customers have the choice of AMR services, either direct with an AMR Provider or SSE s own AMR solution through the customers existing supply contract. Benefits of AMR Metering Accurate and Timely Electricity Bills Improved Budgeting and Forecasting Tariff Optimisation (Subject to contract) Improved Energy Management Improved Energy Efficiency Reduction in Carbon Emissions What is AMR Metering? We will arrange for your existing electricity NHH (non half-hourly) meters to be removed and replaced with an AMR meter. The new AMR meter will effectively mean an end to estimated invoices as the meter sends readings via the mobile phone network to our Data Collector which is then used for your billing. AMR meters are dialled daily and the Half Hourly consumption is available to view on a web based application or sent directly to the customer for use with energy management software. In turn the accurate data enables you to see when your site(s) are using their energy which allows you to take the appropriate actions to lower their consumption. The exception reporting facility within this service will enable you to set your own parameters and alarms. The service provider uses GSM/GPRS communications to retrieve data from the AMR meters and Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and Orange networks to enable them to successfully deploy the service throughout the majority of England, Wales and Scotland.

3 Standard SSE AMR Package SSE s annual AMR price is based on a rental arrangement with standard meter replacement costs. SSE offers an AMR Solution to its supply customers as part of their supply contract. Our AMR package comprises of 5 Key Areas Provision of AMR Meter (Rental) Installation of AMR Meter (Carried out during working hours) Ongoing Maintenance (AMR Meter/Communications hardware) Access to a web based application or HH data sent direct to the customer Meter Readings (Automated read for billing) The on-going cost for the above package is the difference between the annual cost of the AMR service and the non-amr service. The annual AMR charge replaces the existing metering agency pass-through charge element of the current annual standing charge and is then recovered with the energy supply invoice in 12 or 4 instalments. (The agency passthrough charge is levied for the inclusion of the following third party service roles; Meter Operator, Meter Asset Provider, Data Collector, Data Aggregator, and Data Retriever.) So, in real terms this represents no net adjustment for monthly billed sites and an increase of per annum ( per quarter) for quarterly billed sites when compared against current non-amr agency charges. Quarterly Billed (Profile Class 01-04) Non-AMR AMR Annual Adjustment Quarterly Adjustment Monthly Billed (Profile Class 05-08) Non-AMR AMR Annual Adjustment Monthly Adjustment Where additional work/costs are incurred these will be borne by the customer see Additional costs page

4 Direct AMR Package If arrangements are made direct with an AMR service provider of your choosing we would ask that you let us know in advance of any installation work taking place or registration of your sites so that we are able to appoint the relevant agents. Failure to do so may result in problems receiving actual readings for billing. As you will already be paying the metering agency charge direct to the agent you are in contract with, we will reduce the standing charge by the difference between the annual cost of the AMR service and the non-amr service. So, in real terms this represents no net adjustment for quarterly billed sites and a reduction of per annum ( 7.25 per month) for monthly billed sites when compared against current non-amr agency charges. Quarterly Billed (Profile Class 01-04) Non-AMR AMR Annual Adjustment Quarterly Adjustment Monthly Billed (Profile Class 05-08) Non-AMR AMR Annual Adjustment Monthly Adjustment

5 Aborted meter installations / reasons which could delay an AMR program Metal unhinged cut-outs Incorrect sized meter tails Blocked meter Asbestos Panelling Shared supplies through one fuse Incorrect access details Low mobile phone signal strength Remote access sites may require special arrangements for visits Pre-site visits Completion of the AMR site survey form (overleaf) could identify AMR meter installations problem in advance and limit delays to the AMR program.

6 SSE AMR SITE SURVEY Site Address: Date: Post Code: Meter Serial Number: Meter location on site: Mobile Phone signal strength adj to meter position: None High Medium Low Network Provider: On Site Parking: Y / N If no on site parking, nearest available parking for Ford Transit van: Site Contact: Telephone No: Photo of Meter Position. (Electronic copy required) Any other equipment fitted to meter board will possibly need to be moved by your contractors, to enable AMR meter to be installed. Show incoming service cable and main fuses. Second photo of meter required in close-up.

7 SSE s AMR Solution - Additional Costs Additional work/costs not included within SSE's Standard AMR package includes: a) The Replacement of oversized/undersized meter tails. Replacement of the tails between the meter and the distribution board are the responsibility of the customer and may incur a charge from customers own electrician. b) Cut-out fuses rated higher than the size of the meter may require electrical work to balance load or a supply upgrade at the customer s expense. Any damage to metering equipment as a result of over loading will be charged to the customer. c) If a supply upgrade to CT metering is required in order to install AMR metering it will be arranged between the customer and the local distribution network operator. d) Out of hours Installation Weekday - (installations commencing outside the hours of 7am-7pm). Weekend - (installations commencing outside Monday to Friday hours or on Bank Holidays) costs will be higher than at weekdays. e) Any distribution work to split shared supplies will need to be arranged by the customer through the distribution network operator. f) Remote tariff changes after meter installation. (Notification of change of tariff should be arranged prior to the AMR installations). g) Supply and installation of High Gain and Yagi Aerial h) Supply and installation of external contractor for load switching For further information on AMR metering please contact the SSE AMR Project Manager. We recommend that you proceed with the AMR Metering service through SSE. If you are approached by another Service Provider offering a similar service it is suggested you contact us to discuss the services available and the associated costs. SSE offers an AMR Metering solution to you by using Bglobal as its preferred AMR Service Provider. Information correct as at February 2011

8 Data Presentment Options Half-hourly data is delivered daily by our appointed agent via a web platform with login and password or via CSV output file (Web Data Link). Options are as follows: Option 1: Web Analyser Advance Level Permissions (Recommended for Group Contracts) Consumption graphing ability as Standard version Reporting permissions as Standard version Ability to set alarms and schedule reports Electricity analysis facilities Performance Analysis Base load Analysis League Table Production Option 2: Web Data Link Alternative Service Consumption data in downloadable format

9 AMR FAQ What happens to the AMR service once the supply contract ends and the customer moves supplier? The SSE solution is a rental arrangement which lasts the life of the meter (10 years). When the supply contract ends the leasing arrangement continues, regardless of the supplier. If the meter is removed the metering should be passed back to the AMR Provider Can you work with other supplier s AMR Solution? I.e. meters that were installed by previous supplier? It is the intention of SSE to appoint a Data Retriever that can read any suppliers AMR meters. Where we are unable to read the suppliers meter we will either appoint another Data Retriever or fit one of our meters that can be read. Can SSE work with other AMR providers? SSE has contractual agreements with all major AMR providers and can appoint the AMR provider of the customer s choice in most cases. What happens if the meter cannot be dialled? Details of sites which can not be dealt with are flagged up to the meter operator. If the case is a loss of signal we will contact the customer to see if they wish to remain on AMR or wish to revert to a manual meter read. What is the data lag time on the web service? Day +1