Smart meters to foster energy saving

Abu Dhabi: Select customers in Abu Dhabi will soon be able to manage their electricity usage and enjoy preferential rates as part of a pilot project to fit smart meters in their homes and businesses, a regulatory executive told reporters at a meeting yesterday.

"The move means certain homes and businesses will be equipped with smart meters to measure real-time electricity which enable consumers for the first time to control and monitor their electricity consumption via displays," said Nicholas Carter, director general of the Regulation and Supervision Bureau, Abu Dhabi's regulator of water, waste-water and electricity.

Carter added that smart meters will enable customers to alter their electricity usage to take advantage of the less demanding, and therefore cheaper, times of the day and thus reducing their energy bills.

"The move will also benefit Abu Dhabi because smart metering will dramatically reduce the need to use old generation plants to boost supply during peak times. Another benefit is that with the reduction of demand will come a reduction in carbon footprint."

He was speaking of key strategic initiatives as part of the regulator's 2010 work plan.

In the UAE there are typical peak loads during summer time when all air conditioning systems are switched on, but there are also variations which need to be managed throughout the day.

Balancing load

Smart meters and smart grids provide a solution to manage these fluctuations efficiently as they balance the load in the grid by combining real-time consumption information from smart meters with supplier information from the electricity generators to avoid blackouts.

Ali Qasim Al Mashjari, production manager at the regulator, said as many as 500 volunteers will be invited to participate in the trials.

"Electricity will be available to the volunteers at different prices throughout the day, according to overall demand on the grid. So for example, during peak times of day, electricity will be more expensive per unit than at quieter times. So customers may choose to use washing machines or dishwashers during the night."

There will also be an incentive to reduce the power of their air-conditioning or to turn it off when it is not needed. Al Mashjari also spoke of other voluntary trials of demand side management schemes, which will target different consumer groups to learn what works best in Abu Dhabi.

The move was welcomed by many residents saying it will enabled them to reduce their energy bills without hampering their lifestyle Waleed Mohammad Ahmad, an Abu Dhabi resident for seven years, said the smart meter will make him conscious of the energy he is using, while reducing his bills.

Water use: Research planned

Khadija Bin Braikh, wastewater engineer at the Regulation and Supervision Bureau, Abu Dhabi's regulator of water, wastewater and electricity, said only 20 per cent of the water used in the household is discharged into the sewerage system, where it can be treated and then reused.

"The problem is we do not know how all of the water is being used and before we can start to save it we need to understand the consumption patterns and customer behaviours."

The regulator is planing a water usage study to find out how much of the water they use is being returned to the system and how much is being lost through activities such as irrigation, car washing and window cleaning.

She spoke of other regulations which will stipulate that a wide range of businesses engage in pre-treatment of waste.

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