Indians have reason to be proud when it comes to our carbon footprint per capita. We stand at 1.79 tons of CO2 emissions, per person, annually. For context, China stands at 7.60, and the US at 14.67, according to the World Bank. When it comes to overall emissions, however, we have nothing to celebrate. According to OECD’s 2016 data, India was the third largest emitter of CO2, at 2076.83 million tonnes, behind China and the United States. India ranks third largely because of emissions from power generation (about 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions) and carbon-emitting heavy industries.
The problem, unfortunately, is set to only get worse. March 2022 was the hottest March in India, on record since 1901, when record keeping began. Hotter days mean more energy spent on air conditioning, more air-condition usage in cars (bumping up fuel consumption) and increased possibility of electrical grid failures.
For the average city dwelling Indian, the two areas of direct control over our carbon emissions are how much fuel our cars consume, and how much electricity our homes consume. When it comes to our cars, we get immediate feedback when something goes wrong – the trip meter, even in the oldest cars, lets us calculate when our mileage goes down. Our electricity woes, however, only come to light with the arrival of an inflated electricity bill.
That is, till now.
However, in accordance with the GoI’s Smart Meter National Program to convert 250 million conventional meters to Smart Meters by FY25, these woes are also to be resolved. The Smart Meters installation is being initiated with the aim of minimizing billing inefficiencies, optimising energy consumption, and providing reliable power supply to consumers. It is a move to enhance customer experience by bringing ease of access, reliability, and a two-way communication.
Tata Power one of India’s largest integrated power utilites supplying power to 12 million consumers across Odisha, Mumbai and Delhi – has aligned itself to the national initiative to create a Smart India, empowered with monitoring and comprehensive power consumption capabilities. Having already installed over 4 lakh smart meters across its Distribution Companies (Discoms), Tata Power is leading the green transition from the forefront with the aim to imbue energy-conscious consumption behaviour in its customers, which will also make them more empowered and informed energy consumers.
Smart Meters are a great way to give households, industries and even DISCOMs better control over their energy consumption and supply. Through Smart Meters Tata Power provides its customers valuable data analytics tools, allowing them to view and optimise electricity consumption in near real time. Customers can log on to a mobile app or portal and view real-time energy consumption details on a 15/30 min interval, daily consumption trends, a monthly projection based on the daily consumption trends, a month-to-month comparison and a Self versus Peer consumption analysis.
For anyone who wonders why their bills have suddenly gone up, the Smart Meter’s Heat Maps of consumption patterns can help. The Heat Map details how much electricity is consumed by each appliance, and whether or not a gadget has been used. For parents who want to know how much TV viewing goes on in their absence, this is an added benefit! Of course, the primary way in which consumers use this information is to identify the health and life of their appliances, and which ones are ready to be replaced with a star rated efficient appliance.
Another major advantage of Smart Meters is that there are no surprises at the end of the month. Customers receive alerts for abnormal usage, which help them identify when their appliances suddenly go on the blink (think ACs with clogged filters and low gas) and even help them detect energy theft. Customers can also set their own budget for each month, and be alerted when they cross over onto higher tariff slabs, when power supply voltage is low, and when there is a sudden or drastic increase/decrease in consumption.
For Tata power DISCOMs too, Smart Meters spell good news. Real-time Smart Meters helps in effective forecasting for the day ahead, thus reducing penalties on account of deviation settlement management. It also enables optimum network planning and features like the ‘Last Gasp’, used for identifying power failure, helps DISCOMs in ensuring power reliability to customers. The Smart Meters have also led to a reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses through proper energy auditing and accounting.
This brings us to another advantage for customers – reliable electricity bills. Smart meters automatically register the meter readings to the DISCOM’s billing system, eliminating errors due to manual meter readings. Tata Power has, in fact, deployed a comprehensive infrastructure that combines metering infrastructure (Advanced Metering Infrastructure, comprising of Head End System (HES), Meter Data Management System (MDMS)), with end-to-end integration of billing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), GIS system, and remote connect/disconnect features.
Not only does this help Tata Power discoms drive efficiencies across people and processes, but it also provides end consumers with a much better power consumption experience. With the larger aim to make a sustainable lifestyle accessible to all, Tata Power is ushering the digitisation of the distribution sector through its Smart Meter offerings to optimize energy and empower its customers. With its numerous listed benefits, Smart Meter is a smart choice because not only does it improve customer experience by providing reliable and accurate billings, comprehensive consumption data etc. but it is also empowering them to become energy-conscious future ready consumers. If you live in Mumbai, Delhi or Odisha, now would be the time to check with your service provider. Getting your Smart Meter is good for your family, your finances, and the planet. If there was ever a win-win, this is it.
This is a Partnered Post.
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