Municipal power utility City Power has reported that it is finalising a programme for the roll-out and installation of about 250 000 smart meters for consumers in Johannesburg over a three-year period.

The programme, of which the initial phase will focus on larger power users (LPUs), is expected to be completed in 2015. The utility’s MD, Sicelo Xulu, tells Engineering News that the devices will cost in the range of R5 000 and will be funded entirely by City Power.

Further, the smart meters, which are supplied by EPG in consortium with Itron, enable automated meter reading and, therefore, improved billing accuracy, as consumption is monitored in real time.

The devices detect unplanned power interruptions immediately and send off an alarm, allowing for quicker response and shorter power restoration times. The alarm system also reports tampering or illegal activities.

City Power indicates that the smart meters and related infrastructure will enable the utility to communicate with consumers through SMSes, notifying them of power inter- ruptions, requesting them to reduce consumption or sending billing-related information.

Customers will, in turn, also be able to send SMSes to request information regarding power interruptions or consumption. LPUs such as factories, residential complexes and shopping malls will be able to view their consumption statistics in real time on a dedicated Web portal.

Further, the smart meters also support several other features which help to reduce elec- tricity consumption, such as load management.

The devices can shift electricity loads away from peak periods and restrict customers’ elec- tricity use during periods of supply constraints. Customers will be able to monitor and man- age their own consumption by switching specific loads on or off, based on electricity use.

“A smart metering system is a necessary precondition for the implementation of time-of-use tariffs, as the meter can be configured for different consumption periods, such as peak and off-peak. These tariffs will help shift consumption away from peak periods, when the most strain is put on the grid,” the utility states.

City Power has announced that it is considering implementing time-of-use tariffs at a later date; however, a final decision, which will be taken in consultation with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, is yet to be made.