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The Next generation of domestic metering |
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Single phase electricity meter with remote keypad and display for prepayment and credit applications
"Thedemand for flexible and economic metering assets has resu (ted in a new t breed of consumer metering .. .
The Liberty Credit Management meter"
By offering changing modes of operation in line with market and consumer demands, Liberty overs both efficient asset management and an extended useful life.
Multi-utility time-of-use/step tariffs, flexible and programmable debt recovery
Programmable prepayment/credit modes of operation
Programmable Load Limiting facility offering true Demand Side Management
Cost-effective online ''pay-as-you-go'' system that requires no expensive tokens or
costly infrastructure
High multiple encrypted data security
User friendly keypad interface with optional remote keypad and display
User friendly keypad interface with optional remote keypad and display
 PRI
has been involved in keypad based prepayment metering systems since 1977 and has over 500,000 meters using it's CALMU metering technology, installed in South Africa and the rest of the world.
Liberty is a CALMU'" based dispensing meter which has been designed for UK and international markets. Its simple concept removes most al the costs (both consumable and infrastructure) associated With traditional prepayment metering systems. The core CALMU technology ensures that both u1.ililies and consumers benefit from Us configurable and programmable features.
The online vending and data management infrastructure is designed to provide an integrated solution allowing utilities to offer multiple modes of vending to their customers from traditional high street and petrol station outlets to vending by telephone, internet and WAP* mobile phones.
To remain competitive, future prepayment metering must have low infrastructure costs.
Liberty offers the benefits of flexible vending and credit transfer without the need for costly tokens and infrastructure Credit ii dispensed as monetary units with the transfer being earned out by:
encrypted numbers printed on a till receipt at a vending outlet
a 24-hour call centre
Internet / WAP vending
In a competitive electricity supply market, prepayment must be consumer friendly.
Liberty's programmable, easy-to-read LCD display provides access to a variety of information for both the consumer and the utility.
A remote keypad and display unit (Freedom) allows consumers to enter credit and access information from externally or remotely mounted meters.
All of Liberty's features and functions are fully programmable via numeric sequences called "Customer Vend Codes" (CVC) which can be entered by consumers at the same time as credit transfers.
Management of assets and debt risk requires careful consideration of prepayment and credit metering needs
Liberty is the ideal solution for:
Consumers who reside outside a utilities distribution area.
Consumers who want to conveniently "pay as they go" for their consumption.
Properties where meter reading access is a problem
Consumers with no credit history.
Consumers who have difficulty paying their utility bill.
Both utilities and consumers require versatile and socially-acceptable credit and load control facilities.
flexibility through software enables Liberty to be fully configurable to meet current and future needs.
Differentia) pricing allows utilities to charge different prices for credit/overdraft
modes of operation or for excessive demands.
A programmable emergency credit feature removes the worry of running out of
credit.
Alternatively the meter can be programmed lo limit load offering a more sociable
acceptable option to self-disconnection.
Programmable load limiting provides an intelligent way of controlling consumers
load, offering alarms and/or disconnection in the event of excess load.
Prepayment and credit modes of operation can easily be Interchanged via numeric
codes (CVC's). This can be done by the consumer, eliminating the need for costly
site visits. |
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Simple and secure low-cost prepayment metering is required for today's metering business.
Liberty's multiple encryption method employs a 20 digit numeric code. Numeric sequences (CVC's) can be used to transfer vended credit or programming commands.
Comprehensive security features ensure that a dispensed number is valid for one transaction only and cannot be used on any other meter.
The system will support time-of-use/step tariffs for flexible and cast effective energy management. Tariff switching can be performed as part of the normal credit dispensing mechanism by issuing additional customer vending codes (CVC). The security system ensures that tariff detains are keyed into the meter by consumers before any further credit is accepted.
As with all PRI products,
Liberty strives to reduce infrastructure costs and extend price performance. As well as its prepayment functions,
Liberty still provides the additional functionality that customers have come to associate with PM products. Voltage, current, frequency, power factor and kWh are all measured and can be displayed. All currently known methods of fraud can be detected, flagged and/or compensated for.
Cost effective customer support is essential for a national metering system.
Dispensing credit and providing customers with programming and diagnostics tools either al the dispensing outlet or from a call centre permits users of the
Liberty to support their customer nationwide.
In the competitive supply market, opportunities to reduce meter reading (and other associated metering system costs) must pursued.
Liberty K available with a wide range of in input facilities for collecting other utility
meter data such as gas and water. Coupled with relay outputs and separate electronic accounts, Liberty can act as a multi-utility prepayment system. |
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