In New Zealand, we have been discussing desirable pricing options that more accurately reflect (through line function service charges) the costs of distribution networks including the desirability or otherwise of moving from energy carriage charges (non-reflective of network costs) to capacity and demand charges (reflective of a network's required size to supply consumers and therefore largely of its costs). Adding energy carriage charges to a energy retailer's energy charges increases the total energy charge to consumers and provides, on the face of it, higher financial incentives to invest in insulation and distributed generation (DG), and alternative sources of heating energy. Investments in these reduce the importation of electrical energy from the networks and lower their revenue. On the other hand, recovery of costs by means of capacity and demand charges effectively imposes what are seen to be high fixed charges on consumers and lowers incentives to install insulation, DG, etc. However, such charges are much more reflective of network costs and therefore provide the right price signals to consumers.
The introduction of capacity and demand charges requires smart meters that record and save half hour consumptions but NZ is now well advanced with the installation of smart meters that perform this function and may be remotely interrogated by the retailer for invoicing purposes. However, it also follows that consumers should be aware at any time of their instantaneous demand on the network so that, during indicated (by ripple control or otherwise) peak periods, they can turn off any loads they can do without and/or avoid increasing their loads until the peak period has passed. With meters typically being sited in meter boxes on an outside wall, what is wanted is some form of remote indication device that may be placed handily in the home and "talk" continuously or continually to the meter to provide the consumer with his/her current demand and the number of chargeable maximum demands already incurred to date in the chargeable period (which may be a month or a year depending on how the network company's pricing option).
My question to the Measurement Community is whether such remote indication devices have been developed to interrogate the adjacent meter and provide a consumer with the instantaneous demand and the desirable chargeable recordings on the meter. If the desirablility of such a device is conceded, would it be provided by meter manufacturers or other manufacturers able to use the accepted meter communication protocols? If the retailer is able to interrogate its meter, then it should be possible for a local device to do so as well on a continuous or continual basis.
I should be very interested in where the UK and other countries are in relation to the development and provision of such consumer friendly in-home devices. They appear to me to be essential where consumers are placed on capacity and demand pricing options by their distribution networks
The introduction of capacity and demand charges requires smart meters that record and save half hour consumptions but NZ is now well advanced with the installation of smart meters that perform this function and may be remotely interrogated by the retailer for invoicing purposes. However, it also follows that consumers should be aware at any time of their instantaneous demand on the network so that, during indicated (by ripple control or otherwise) peak periods, they can turn off any loads they can do without and/or avoid increasing their loads until the peak period has passed. With meters typically being sited in meter boxes on an outside wall, what is wanted is some form of remote indication device that may be placed handily in the home and "talk" continuously or continually to the meter to provide the consumer with his/her current demand and the number of chargeable maximum demands already incurred to date in the chargeable period (which may be a month or a year depending on how the network company's pricing option).
My question to the Measurement Community is whether such remote indication devices have been developed to interrogate the adjacent meter and provide a consumer with the instantaneous demand and the desirable chargeable recordings on the meter. If the desirablility of such a device is conceded, would it be provided by meter manufacturers or other manufacturers able to use the accepted meter communication protocols? If the retailer is able to interrogate its meter, then it should be possible for a local device to do so as well on a continuous or continual basis.
I should be very interested in where the UK and other countries are in relation to the development and provision of such consumer friendly in-home devices. They appear to me to be essential where consumers are placed on capacity and demand pricing options by their distribution networks