Eliminating estimated utility bills

Clarity, an accredited data collector for the half-hourly electricity market, has introduced a metering service for the non-half-hourly electricity market and for all gas and water supplies. Meter readings collected by the smartMetering service will be sent direct to suppliers, so that customer bills will be based on actual consumption and not guesswork. The service is operated by Stark software and uses SMS text messaging to deliver the data. Sending data over mobile networks is far less expensive than renting fixed telephone lines. Water and gas loggers are both battery powered. Howard Stark, managing director of Stark Software, ‘Our smartMetering service brings affordable automatic meter reading to the non-half-hourly electricity market and to all gas and water supplies. ‘The average price being forecast for non-half-hourly electricity contracts renewing in 2006 is 9 p/kWh. At this price, reducing consumption at monthly billed sites by just 2 kWh a day will pay for the Clarity service.’ Apart from accurate bills, benefits include reduced accounting and administration costs, as well as accurate closing and opening readings — making it far easier to change supplier. The readings can also be used to implement a proactive aM&T programme.

Related links:

• www.stark.co.uk/