EtihadWE announced the installation of more than 220,000 smart electricity meters and 240,000 smart water meters, representing a total of approximately 65% of the total number targeted to be installed within its project to convert to the smart metering system, the innovative project and the first of its kind in the Middle East.
Mohammad Mohammad Saleh, Director General, said that the smart meters that will be used in all facilities is part of its vision to push the digital transformation process through the use of smarter technologies, which will contribute to upgrading the service provided and achieving a higher level of customers' expectations.
Saleh said that the unique project led the company to obtain international awards such as the GOLD Award for ‘Best Technical Support Solution – Computer Technologies’ in the ‘IT Category’ within the International Stevie Awards 2020, which confirms the company's constant endeavor to achieve the desired leadership by adopting the latest technologies related to the field of services that it provides.
Saleh stressed that the project will achieve many advantages, as the new system will allow reading consumption rates on a timely basis with extreme accuracy and remotely. He said that while reading a traditional meter takes about 70 seconds on average with an accuracy of 97%, a reading of 7 smart meters is taken in one second with an accuracy of more than 99.9%, not to mention the great speed in the processes of cutting and reconnecting the service automatically and the automatic update of the programs used remotely.
It will also facilitate the discovery of errors and deviations in consumption such as potential leaks, as well as shortening the time and achieving greater flexibility in carrying out repairs, as the time for repairing the meter will decrease from months in some cases to no more than 48 hours only.
He stated that the smart meter system would also contribute, through the results of analytical processes on big data, to the development of long-term plans, whether at the level of the future needs of the regions or the quality of service provided to consumers, as it would allow the consumer himself to monitor his consumption.
Saleh pointed to another set of benefits that the project achieves, such as raising the level of health and safety, as stopping traditional meter reading will reduce work injuries caused by handling various equipment and room coverings, as well as exposure to high weather and traffic accidents.
Saleh stressed that the smart meter system will improve the response systems to customer inquiries, in addition to its overall impact on the good management of resources and the stability of service prices.
He said that the project is in line with the government's endeavors to reduce carbon emissions and achieve sustainability in the energy sector, and is in line with the UAE's attitudes in the comprehensive transformation to smart solutions, pointing out that the company has recently concluded a partnership with one of the service providers in order to provide the necessary infrastructure for the project, where a dedicated M2M (3G/4G) network will be built to enable connectivity of the meters.