MATCHING RWANDA’S METERING DEMANDS TO THE RIGHTS TECHNOLOGIES

Presentation : Lucien RUTERANA

Commercial Director

RECO&RWASCO

RWANDA

. The overview of metering in Rwanda

- History

- Objectives

- Current status

. Prepayment vs Post payment metering system in RECO

. From PRIMA to SUPRIMA Management of customers

. Revenue collection strategies( Sales outlets Strategies )

. Split meters for Fraud prevention

. New forthcoming prepayment projects for Electricity and

water.

. Professional prepayment installations on Big buildings

for faire Mgt of Electricity distribution

. Water prepayment projects

. Automatic meter reading performance

. Prepayment customer view (success story )

PRESENTATION HIGHLGHTS

MEETERING OBECTIVES IN RWANDA

� Inceased revenue collection

� Loss reduction oriented �Timely billing �Minimum of billing errors � Cost reflective� Service delivery

� Able to value of service consumed.

� Respond to their needs � Easy access to services �Easy payment �Trustable and high technology � Participation

MEETERING OPERATIONS SHOULD RESPOND TO CUSTOMERS &UTILITY DEMAND

FROM CONVENTIONAL TO PREPAYMENT METERING

�Improved budgeting� Energy accounting: customer now

monitor energy (money) consumed� Convenience of payment� Avoide long queues� Choose when to pay� Confidence in the system� No billing errors�No accumulated arrears� Improved quality of supply� Enjoy technology service� Participation in sales management

� A solution that improves therevenue collection

� Improved financial management� Avoid accumulation of arrears� Improves management of fraud� Better customer services� Better load management�No billing errors

PREPAYMENT

PRIVATE OUTLETPRIVATE OUTLET

RECO OUTLETS

Split meters

SplitCommunication

High current Unit (<250 Amps) equipped with AMR

In February 2008, RECO started the replacement of

conventional meters (1/4 hour integration period) installed to big commercial building and medium industries, in order to increase customer service and revenu collection.

Combo meters are installed in group at an appropriate place for each flow and split meters are installed on ground level and their corresponding UIU (User Interface Unit) are installed in the room/office accessible by to each customer.

RECO installed 250A high current meters associated with Automatic Meter Reading Controller to big consumer; Privates building, Public Institutions, Small Industries to facilitate the mgt of individual electricity load.

One conventional meter was

replaced by 89 prepayment meters on this building

SAMPLE OF AUTOMATION BETWEEN MANY PREPAYMENT METERS & ONE GENERATOR IN THE SAME BUILDING

�Monitor energy consumed

� Confidence in the system� No billing errors�Enjoy technology service� not necessary to enter in his

compound

� Improves the revenue collection � Accuracy of data ( in Billing)

�Monitoring outages � Management of billing and

recovery operations �Better customer services� Better load management�Able to read outside thecompound

The Field Billing System is an Electronic System allowing meter reader to print automaticaly water bills on field.

The system refers to the uses of mobile thermal Printers that interface with the RADIX ultra rugged handheld mobile computer units, and a customized software solution named ROUTEMASTER.

RWASCO has implemented since 2008 an advanced field portable billing system that manages Water Meter Reading operations

Water Field

a. Field Meter Reading system

Benefits of the Field Billing System

The system benefits of a field billing solution are numerous:

⇒ Reduce Billing cycle.

⇒ Customer can immediately compare the readings on

the meter to the reading on the bill.

⇒The problems associated with postal delivery in certain

areas are eliminated.

⇒Substantial improvement in cash flow

⇒ Better customer interaction is maintained with the

personal delivery of bills

⇒Substantial reductions in postal/hand delivery

⇒Reduces consumer queries

⇒Management Reports

Since 2006, RWASCO customer s are able to check their bill history and the amount owed using a telephone mobile.

b. YOUR BILLS AT YOUR Mobile Phone

Key Objectives :

An AMR pilot project has been implemented in RWANDA with the following main objectives:

�To collect data from water meters

remotely

�to increase reading reliability and

significantly reduces reading time cycle.

�makes all meters accessible even if the

customer is absent or in hard-to-read

locations.

�to improve productivity and bring extra

services to customers

AMR pilot project implementation in RWASCO

The water AMR pilot project started December 2010 and include the installation of 100 water meters pre equipped for communication using Radio Frequency CYBLE Module.

Meters size are DN15, DN20, DN32, DN40 using RF technology and for big customer WATERMIND Technology for big diameters DN80, DN100 and DN150.