AIDON - Case Study: EB Nett - Testing smart electricity
In 2011, the Norwegian utility company EB Nett chose the FutureBuilt area Strømsø in Drammen as their pilot for their smart meter trial. Their aim was to assure that regulatory requirements as well as IT solutions, system solutions and electronic work orders were meeting set standards.
"Energi Norge, the utility sector’s interest organization, has developed an info pack on smart metering, which we wanted to test, and EB has been an important contributor in the development process", says Rune Kvam, Head of Customer Relations at EB Nett.
Aidon was chosen as their meter provider, based on an evaluation of functionality and price. Their first goal was to establish smart meters in all of their 1 300 metering points. One and three-phase domestic meters set up in an Aidon mesh radio network was utilized in the project, and all meters are now installed according to regulations with a circuit breaker.
Customer satisfaction
In January 2012, a survey was completed where end-users were asked how they perceived both the information received throughout the pilot and that to be found on the web-pages of EB Nett. They were also asked how the appointment of a meter installation was made, and how they perceived the actual installation and the service provided by the fitter.
According to survey results, customer information was sufficient. Only few had visited the web-pages, however, but those few were indeed satisfied. The customer received a letter in which suggestions for meter installation appointments were given, and in most instances these fitted the customer’s schedule. Overall, the customers expressed satisfaction with the fitter and the installation of the meter.
"Our next step is to test further opportunities provided by the smart meters. This will enable us to manage our grid even smarter", Kvam says.