Newark-based WilSon Energy, a provider of fully integrated Heating, Metering, Pre-Payment and Billing & Bureau Services for residential homes and commercial developments, has won a new contract to deploy the latest LoRaWAN technology as part of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
The project will see a network of 250 residential properties in Stevenage benefitting from WilSon Energy’s implementation of the latest cutting-edge heat metering technology.
LoRaWAN is communications protocol that wirelessly connects “things” to the internet in regional, national, or global networks. Its popularity is growing in the residential property space as it is an easy-to-deploy, simple-to-manage, resilient, robust and cost-effective solution for managing heating, cooling, electricity, water and gas metering.
Together with Axioma Metering, the project will feature Qalcosonic E3 smart ultrasonic heat energy meters with LoRa modules operating within WilSon’s intelligent data management platform solution.
Andy Wilkinson, CEO WilSon Energy, said: “With this partnership we are able to provide customers with a one-stop shop solution; the smart heat energy meter, LoRaWAN network and IoT platform.”
Through the collaboration, the WilSon platform will allow building administrators to monitor and analyse data; use the data for billing; generate balancing, consumption and leakage reports; as well as receive customisable alerts. This includes immediate notifications of any water leaks in order to prevent damage to their infrastructure and avoid un-billed cases.
A spokesperson from the property management company added: “With the previous system that was deployed by a former contractor, the project has been inherently troubled with many issues over the last few years. Residents have been understandably unhappy about receiving incorrect bills or not being billed at all due to technical issues. With WilSon Energy on board we are now able to rectify this.
“We’re looking forward to working with the WilSon Energy team to roll out the latest technology to residents at our Stevenage development. The implementation of this smart metering will provide a myriad of benefits, including accurate readings and a more cost-effective solution for utility bill management. This will ensure accurate billing and help our residents monitor and manage their energy usage.”
Ultrasonic measurement is considered the most reliable way of measuring the hot or chilled water flow by providing accurate consumption reporting, as the data is collected automatically, while residents can monitor their energy usage with the help of a mobile App.
In addition, the advanced metering infrastructure can lower billing costs and minimise errors by eliminating the traditional drive-by/walk-by meter data collection, as all meters are equipped with LoRa modules permitting data to be transmitted to the system effectively and without the possibility of intervention.
Dan Mayfield, WilSon’s support and operations manager explained: “Working together in the market like this, enables us to have a strong focus and accelerate the development of our IoT platform.”
WilSon Energy is carrying out the full mechanical and electrical installation of all metering devices and central concentrators. The project will enable the property management company to experience the benefit of the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for the first time.
