Introduction

SiCA for Automatic Meter Reading is a powerful distributed wireless meter reading system capable of collecting data from city-wide networks of smart meters and delivering it to a central location via the internet.

Based on reliable, secure and extremely low power Zigbee technology, EpiSensor's smart meter devices can last up to 10 years on a single battery and deliver valuable metering data to a central location automatically.

This data can be used to bill customers in real-time, reduce peak energy demand, implement variable tariffs and increase energy efficiency.

Infrastructure

EpiSensor has developed a variety of fully wireless smart meter interfaces which are easy to deploy & maintain. Each smart meter interface has a number of configurable parameters and can be customised to suit a variety of applications.

EpiSensor's smart meters communicate in a wireless mesh network and relay meter data through a SiCA Gateway to a central location.

SiCA Gateways are advanced internet connected embedded computers capable of managing large networks of wireless nodes and delivering valuable real-time data to a system control center.

Electricity Metering

EpiSensor's smart electricity meters which can deliver accurate and frequent meter readings to utilities are essential for load management on modern electricity distribution networks. Using these meters, it is possible to provide customers with detailed bills showing electricity consumption graphs, standby power, peak load and even appliance level electricity consumption.

Data can also be collected from within a building and Zigbee technology is perfectly suited for communicating with smart plugs and in-home displays. Utilities also have the option of remote disconnection in the event of unpaid bills and can implement variable tariffs for demand response.

Water Metering

EpiSensor has developed wireless communications interfaces for various industry standard water meters which seamlessly integrate with the SiCA Platform and provide data automatically in a central location via the web. This enables utilities to bill customers based on variable tariffs and provide detailed itemised bills with water consumption graphs.

Smart water meters can also identify water leaks and distribution system faults by comparing system inputs to system outputs in real time. This can dramatically increase the efficiency of a water distribution system. Water sub-metering and demand response functionality can also be implemented using EpiSensor's SiCA Platform for automatic meter reading.

Gas Metering

Smart gas meters work in the same way as water and electricity meters on EpiSensor's SiCA Platform. Data is collected from the meter by a wireless node with a 10-year battery and sent to a SiCA Gateway. From here, it is transferred through the internet to SiCA Server and made available for software applications.

Smart gas meters can provide variable tariff billing, appliance sub-metering, demand response and real-time monitoring of natural gas consumption. The system can also be expanded to include in-home displays and web dashboards which can increase customer satisfaction and overall system efficiency.

Management Software

When smart meter nodes are deployed, they securely join a wireless network which is managed by a SiCA Gateway. This gateway collects data from the wireless nodes and delivers it to a central SiCA Server via the web.

SiCA Server can store data from many SiCA Gateways in an industry standard database where it is made available for SiCA Studio management software. SiCA Studio can generate detailed reports, view live data, control wireless nodes, troubleshoot the wireless network and export data.

EpiSensor's SiCA Platform provides a complete solution for automatic meter reading, demand response, variable billing tariffs and advanced sub-metering. To find out more please contact us.