Because wireless ZigBee technology is designed for a variety of applications, MaxStream, a developer of wireless modem networking for electronic devices, has created three different XBee development kits to meet the diverse needs of OEMs and systems integrators.

The XBee Professional Developer’s Kit is designed for developers looking to maximize the forthcoming mesh networking capabilities of the ZigBee standard. It includes five OEM RF modules and five enhanced development boards with RS-232 or USB connectivity. The XBee-PRO Starter Kit and XBee Starter Kit make it possible to establish a reliable RF link in minutes; they both include two XBee-PRO or XBee modules with integrated wire whip antennas, as well as both an RS-232 and USB development board.

The Demand Response and Advanced Metering (DRAM) Coalition has announced that EnerNOC, provider of demand response and services to C&I customers, has joined the group. The coalition believes that EnerNOC’s membership in DRAM will help it to focus more on the ‘demand response provider’ segment of the industry, allowing it to be a better resource to those in the electricity industry wanting to understand more about DR and how it can be used.

 

By Betsy Loeff

AMR installations may be a mechanical process, but communication and strategy are what keep deployments rolling along. To optimise installation schedules, professional installers offer simple advice: automate where possible, train and train again, leverage installations for fact-finding, and keep customers in the know.

With a growing population of DLMS/COSEM-based meters and data collection systems the issue of performance becomes important, as trading on the liberalised markets is based on the daily reading and processing of load profiles, which requires efficient handling of large amounts of data. Customers expect interoperability from DLMS/COSEM and also superior performance.

 

Since taking over the chair of the International Utilities Revenue Protection Association (IURPA) Ive had the opportunity to attend a variety of training conferences and industry seminars, and to provide industry professionals with information through forums such as Metering International.

The DLMS User Association is a traditional and ardent supporter of the Metering Europe exhibition and conference, which took place this year in Berlin from 27-30 September. The Association has a booth, presented a paper, and had its General Meeting during the conference.

 

I had the extreme pleasure of representing the IURPA at the Metering Americas 2004 conference, held in San Diego, California. This was the third such conference I’ve attended, and it was by far the best. It provided an excellent forum to discuss revenue protection issues with utilities and vendors from around the world. IURPA, being an international organisation, gained valuable contacts with attendees from Latin America, Europe, Canada, Africa and the Middle East. Since this conference I have been able to provide technical assistance to a variety of utilities addressing revenue protection issues.

Working groups of the DLMS User Association make an essential contribution to the success of DLMS/COSEM. Because of the growing membership of the DLMS UA, the new implementations and the increasing market presence of DLMS/COSEM-based systems, the working group 'Maintenance' is very active these days.

Even if you make a list of potential problems, you’re likely to have situations come up during a trial that weren’t anticipated and planned out. That’s why the City of Racine, Wisconsin, went into its water meter AMR trial with discovery in mind. “The primary reason for our trial was to find out what problems would come up,” says Racine’s meter supervisor, Ron Christensen. “We wanted to smooth out the wrinkles before our full-scale implementation.”

In a bid to facilitate the use of DLMS/COSEM, the General Meeting decided to make the DLMS UA website more user friendly, and to open up most of the information related to the use of the specification. The first result is the new homepage: it now allows direct access to the important sectors of the site.

IURPA – The International Utilities Revenue Protection Association, Inc. is comprised of revenue protection professionals dedicated to sharing information that assists in reducing revenue losses for the benefit of utility companies, customers and stockholders. We are a volunteer organization of men and women from all over the globe, brought together by common interests. Our roster of members hails from North and South America, Europe, the Caribbean, India, Africa and Australia. More countries in the Near East and Far East, as well as Eastern European countries such as Romania and the Ukraine, are also showing interest in our activities. Our mission is simple and our focus is direct.