Meter Configurations, IDs and Data Exchange

Q: How do meter configurations relate to unique IDs in the Data Exchange Specification?

A: The following diagrams illustrate some typical meter installations. In each example, some combination of unique IDs is used to distinguish: places where a utility delivers water service, the metering technology measuring consumption, and who is responsible for paying the bill. The term “unique ID” or “unique identifier” refers to a distinct combination of numbers and characters that can be used to differentiate one thing (account, location, meter, service point) from another thing (account, location, meter, service point) in a utility’s CIS or billing system.

Note: Manually read meters without endpoints do not require endpoint serial numbers in their Data Exchange file entries.

Location A is a typical single-family residence. Its Data Exchange file entry requires a unique Location ID, a unique Account ID, a Service Point ID and a unique Meter ID along with the serial number of its endpoint (if applicable).

Location B is an example of a residence or business where a compound meter has been installed. The high side and low side of the meter are connected to separate endpoints associated with a single Service Point ID, a unique Account ID and a unique Location ID. In this configuration, each side of the compound meter shares the same Meter ID. The Register Number field identifies whether it is the high side or low side of the compound meter.

Location C shows another possible residential or business configuration. It includes three separate Service Points, each with its own set of metering technology (a meter, an encoder register and an endpoint), and only two accounts. This configuration uses one Location ID, two Account IDs, three Service Point IDs and three Meter IDs along with the serial numbers of each endpoint.

This example is identical to Location C, but separate Location IDs (C1, C2, C3) have been assigned to each service point.

Location D could be an office building, apartment complex, shopping mall or similar place where the utility delivers water to multiple Service Points, each with its own account and set of metering technology. The configuration uses one Location ID and multiple Service Point IDs, each associated with its own Account ID and Meter ID.

Location E shows a business configuration with a super-compound or hybird meter. That is, a compound meter with a low-flow side, a high-flow side and one or more additional sides for fire and other dedicated services. This configuration uses one Account ID, one Location ID, three  Meter IDs and three Register Numbers to identify each side of the super-compound. Notice the Meter IDs for the fire service and other side of the meter are tagged with -FS and -XY (where –XY could be any abbreviation) to further identify them. The high- and low-flow sides of the super-compound share a Service Point ID, while the fire service and other side of the meter use different Service Point IDs, because BEACON treats them as separate meters.

See Data Exchange for more on how Accounts, Locations, Meters and Service Points relate to your business processes.