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Smart meters to check power use
Wed, Aug 27, 2008 - ST, AsiaOne
Singapore households will soon have a smarter way of keeping tabs on their monthly power bills.
Energy meters, which tell consumers exactly how much electricity they are using per hour, will be tested in 1,000 households in the east and west under a pilot project launched by the Energy Market Authority (EMA). The trial will take place over six months from Nov this year, according to the EMA's press statement.
These advanced electricity meters give consumers more detailed information on their energy usage, including electricity rates and hourly consumption.
The energy meters allows consumers to choose an electricity package that best suits their lifestyle and know the cost of the electricity being consumed when an appliance is switched on.
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There are going to be peak and off peak charges.
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Trials on new system of buying electricity start later this year
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 August 2008 2346 hrs
SINGAPORE: A new way of buying electricity is expected to result in lower energy costs for home-owners.To be on trial later this year, the Electricity Vending System (EVS) is the latest stage in a S$3 million project. If successful, it will be rolled out to all 1.2 million homes and small shops.
The EVS aims to bring down household energy bills by giving customers the freedom to choose different electricity packages from suppliers.
The EVS allows a home owner to buy electricity from vending machines at the touch of a screen. Terminals will be placed at convenience stores and customers will also be able to buy electricity via the Internet and their mobile phones.
Once payment is made, the amount is instantly credited to the user's home electricity monitor via wireless technology.
The monitor will beep when the credit runs low to warn home-owners to top up their accounts.
And if the user registers their handphone number, an SMS will be sent advising them to top up their accounts. This can be done via a reply SMS.
One of the biggest ways consumers could save money through this system is simply by being more aware of how much electricity they use.
A consumer display unit will show exactly how much electricity is being used at any one time. And, as soon as an appliance is switched on, the number on the display unit jumps up.
For example, switching on a light bulb uses little energy but turning on an electric kettle causes electricity usage to shoot up.
Hence, users will be able to see instant savings when they turn off appliances.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA), Singapore's energy market regulator, expects electricity suppliers to offer different peak and off-peak packages to suit the different lifestyles of consumers.
1,000 volunteers from Marine Parade and West Coast will test out the EVS. The trial at Marine Parade will start in November this year while that at West Coast will start in February 2009. Each trial will last for six months.
Seow Kang Seng, EMA's director of consumer safety and crisis management, said: "In order to keep the costs low for the pilot projects, we actually tried to look for places which have a good mix of private housing, HDB housing and some small shops such that we can get enough volunteers to take part and get a good mix."
Competition will keep prices down. Since 2003, about 10,000 large industrial users, which account for 75% of electricity demand, have been able to negotiate their own electricity rates with SP Services or private retailers such as Tuas Power Supply and Keppel Electric.
But small consumers such as households have only been able to buy electricity from SP Services at a flat rate through monthly bills.
The new monitor for EVS costs more than the current electricity meter, but this is expected to be less than the amount currently spent on the billing, opening and closing of accounts and meter reading, which would no longer be necessary.
EMA's Mr Seow said: "Currently we have these processes like account opening, account closing, billing, meter readings, account management processes. Under the EVS system, all these processes will not be required."
If the trials are successful, all households will eventually be switched to the EVS. But it will not be rolled out islandwide until at least 2010.
- CNA/ir
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Originally posted by Rednano:
Trials on new system of buying electricity start later this year
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 27 August 2008 2346 hrs
SINGAPORE: A new way of buying electricity is expected to result in lower energy costs for home-owners.To be on trial later this year, the Electricity Vending System (EVS) is the latest stage in a S$3 million project. If successful, it will be rolled out to all 1.2 million homes and small shops.
The EVS aims to bring down household energy bills by giving customers the freedom to choose different electricity packages from suppliers.
The EVS allows a home owner to buy electricity from vending machines at the touch of a screen. Terminals will be placed at convenience stores and customers will also be able to buy electricity via the Internet and their mobile phones.
Once payment is made, the amount is instantly credited to the user's home electricity monitor via wireless technology.
The monitor will beep when the credit runs low to warn home-owners to top up their accounts.
And if the user registers their handphone number, an SMS will be sent advising them to top up their accounts. This can be done via a reply SMS.
One of the biggest ways consumers could save money through this system is simply by being more aware of how much electricity they use.
A consumer display unit will show exactly how much electricity is being used at any one time. And, as soon as an appliance is switched on, the number on the display unit jumps up.
For example, switching on a light bulb uses little energy but turning on an electric kettle causes electricity usage to shoot up.
Hence, users will be able to see instant savings when they turn off appliances.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA), Singapore's energy market regulator, expects electricity suppliers to offer different peak and off-peak packages to suit the different lifestyles of consumers.
1,000 volunteers from Marine Parade and West Coast will test out the EVS. The trial at Marine Parade will start in November this year while that at West Coast will start in February 2009. Each trial will last for six months.
Seow Kang Seng, EMA's director of consumer safety and crisis management, said: "In order to keep the costs low for the pilot projects, we actually tried to look for places which have a good mix of private housing, HDB housing and some small shops such that we can get enough volunteers to take part and get a good mix."
Competition will keep prices down. Since 2003, about 10,000 large industrial users, which account for 75% of electricity demand, have been able to negotiate their own electricity rates with SP Services or private retailers such as Tuas Power Supply and Keppel Electric.
But small consumers such as households have only been able to buy electricity from SP Services at a flat rate through monthly bills.
The new monitor for EVS costs more than the current electricity meter, but this is expected to be less than the amount currently spent on the billing, opening and closing of accounts and meter reading, which would no longer be necessary.
EMA's Mr Seow said: "Currently we have these processes like account opening, account closing, billing, meter readings, account management processes. Under the EVS system, all these processes will not be required."
If the trials are successful, all households will eventually be switched to the EVS. But it will not be rolled out islandwide until at least 2010.
- CNA/ir
aw don't care liao la tmd they nv even consult us
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Don't know wbout the rest of you; but my SP bills saw a drastic hike during July 2008; about 25% above national Average. The best part is was that my entire family was away in Canada for 2 weeks during that month.
All i got from the SP guys was due to some changes or ugrades that may have caused the variations in utilities bills.
Didn't know we had to pay for their glitches.
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Originally posted by ivebeenhad:
i sense another minister pay hike in 2010
They are doing a good job, since all the prices are increasing, they are raking in alot of profits for Temasek, the GDP is increasing due to increases in price levels. The economy is doing very well.
They should give themselves a pat on the back and another pay increase.
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Originally posted by nullifi3d:
Don't know wbout the rest of you; but my SP bills saw a drastic hike during July 2008; about 25% above national Average. The best part is was that my entire family was away in Canada for 2 weeks during that month.
All i got from the SP guys was due to some changes or ugrades that may have caused the variations in utilities bills.
Didn't know we had to pay for their glitches.
My bill is normally overcharged when I don't remember using so much. Whenever, I call them, they keep pushing blame to me that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the metre reading, it is the consumers that are using too much water/electricity.
They will never admit it is their intention to overcharge consumers.
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To be on trial later this year, the Electricity Vending System (EVS) is the latest stage in a S$3 million project. If successful, it will be rolled out to all 1.2 million homes and small shops.
It is their "mission" to implement this, even if it turns out to be a failure they will still go ahead with it. There is never once that the Pay and pay encounters any "failure" to stop them from implementing whatever they want. Even if majority of the consumers say no to it they will still go ahead. So I think the trial is just for show.
Congrats, Pay and Pay, more money coming your way thru this from more bloodsucking. People, please vote PAP if you want to have constant increase in living costs regardless of how economy is doing. ====> I am speaking the truth and I think there will be lackeys/running dogs "buay song".
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
To be on trial later this year, the Electricity Vending System (EVS) is the latest stage in a S$3 million project. If successful, it will be rolled out to all 1.2 million homes and small shops.
It is their "mission" to implement this, even if it turns out to be a failure they will still go ahead with it. There is never once that the Pay and pay encounters any "failure" to stop them from implementing whatever they want. Even if majority of the consumers say no to it they will still go ahead. So I think the trial is just for show.
Congrats, Pay and Pay, more money coming your way thru this from more bloodsucking. People, please vote PAP if you want to have constant increase in living costs regardless of how economy is doing. ====> I am speaking the truth and I think there will be lackeys/running dogs "buay song".
so how? cant pay by monthly giro... so hassle to top up when low... if auto top up, then the payment dates how? cos pay day, later low amount in bank a/c
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Originally posted by Rednano:
so how? cant pay by monthly giro... so hassle to top up when low... if auto top up, then the payment dates how? cos pay day, later low amount in bank a/c
They are smart. EArn our money before we utilise. No choice if they go ahead to implement this. Sounds like ERP. This has pros and cons but I find that this will allow them to earn even more revenue than before. Their bottomline is earn more from us. If their motive is purely to help to save costs then they will not have peak and off peak charges. Remember hor, Pay and pay will not do anything without any motive of gaining for themselves.Tell you if the peak is at night, don't switch on light, use candles.
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
They are smart. EArn our money before we utilise. No choice if they go ahead to implement this. Sounds like ERP. This has pros and cons but I find that this will allow them to earn even more revenue than before. Their bottomline is earn more from us. If their motive is purely to help to save costs then they will not have peak and off peak charges. Remember hor, Pay and pay will not do anything without any motive of gaining for themselves.Tell you if the peak is at night, don't switch on light, use candles.
the on-off peak policy... i think got some countries already got liao... like i seen it in some movies...
lucky my home outside got the corridor warm yellow light, so can borrow.
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Originally posted by Fantagf:
That is in the movies may not be in reality.
got... australia... here: under the sub heading "Interval Meters".
http://www.truenergy.com.au/Residential/YourAccount/ElectricityMeters.xhtml
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Originally posted by Rednano:
got... australia... here: under the sub heading "Interval Meters".
http://www.truenergy.com.au/Residential/YourAccount/ElectricityMeters.xhtml
Do the people in Australia save cost thru this charging?
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