Pakistani Paper

Arab J Sci EngDOI 10.1007/s13369-012-0432-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE - SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Remote Energy Monitoring, Profiling and Control Through GSMNetwork

Adnan Rashdi Rafia Malik Sanam Rashid Anam Ajmal Sulaiman Sadiq

Received: 24 November 2011 / Accepted: 14 March 2012 King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals 2012

Abstract This paper presents design and development ofa global system for mobile communications (GSM)-basedenergy monitoring, profiling and control system. The pro-posed system integrates consumers digital energy meter withenergy monitoring system which is controlled by electricsupply company. Single phase or three phase digital elec-tric meters can be used with indigenously developed addon module, which acquires energy usage data at consumerpremises and after necessary processing transmits it to theelectric supply company using short message service (SMS)and global packet radio service (GPRS) through GSM net-work. At the electric supplier end, an energy monitoringsystem manages all received meter readings, computes thebilling cost, updates the database and maintains an energyconsumption profile for each consumer. System controls alloperations at the electric supply company headquarters andgenerates various warning alerts on occurrence of faults inthe system. A working prototype of complete system hasbeen developed using digital energy meter manufactured byMicroTech Industries, Pakistan, to demonstrate an efficientand transparent means of automatic meter reading, billingand notification using existing wide spread GSM network.

A. Rashdi (B) R. Malik S. Rashid A. Ajmal S. SadiqDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Military College of Signals,National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistane-mail: [email protected]

R. Malike-mail: [email protected]

S. Rashide-mail: [email protected]

A. Ajmale-mail: [email protected]. Sadiqe-mail: [email protected]

Keywords Global system for mobile communications Global packet radio service Automatic meter reading Short message service

1 Introduction

The conventional energy metering system requires the energysupplier company to send their representatives who man-ually read and record the energy consumption for billingpurposes. The manual energy reading system suffers froma wide variety of disadvantages making it inefficient. Therequirement of huge manpower to acquire meter readings isnot cost effective and with human involvement, it is prone tohuman errors as well as tampering of records. This leadsto non-transparency in the electric energy metering sys-tem. To devise an efficient and transparent metering system,

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the concept of automatic meter reading (AMR) and energyprofiling system (EPS) evolved. It provides an effectivemeans of energy consumption information collection and itsanalysis for accurate billing [1,2]. A plethora of technolo-gies can be used for implementing meter reading system,but each technology has its own pros and cons [3]. Radiofrequency (RF)-based meter reading systems make use ofhandheld devices, mobile and fixed networks [4]. Handhelddevice-based meter reading system uses a handheld computerequipped with RF transceiver to collect readings, but it doesnot make an optimum use of the AMR capable meters, asmeter reading staff is still required. Mobile or drive-by meterreading is another approach which has an RF meter readingdevice installed in a vehicle to collect meter readings. Dueto the short range of mobility, it again requires a team forcollection of meter readings. AMR can also be implementedusing power line communication (PLC) and telephone linenetwork, but it has an inherent disadvantage of interferenceand noise, which deems it unreliable. Wi-Fi technology hasalso been used for transmission of metering information, butnot being a widespread technology, it requires the installationof access points to cover the designated areas. A GSM-basedAMR system has been shown in Fig. 1. GSM and GSM-Zig-bee hybrid models for AMR have also been proposed in [5,6].

The proposed system has been indigenously developedto induce transparency in the current electric meter readingsystem. It facilitates low cost real time energy monitoring,profiling and control using SMS or GPRS provided by widelyinstalled GSM network. The initial version of the system wasdeveloped and tested using SMS [7], whereas the system con-sidered in this paper has been developed and tested for bothSMS and GPRS. The developed automation leads to an effi-cient energy metering system which is transparent, withouthuman errors and ideal for power distribution systems ofdeveloping countries. System allows bidirectional commu-

nication thus allowing energy supplier company to remotelycontrol the consumers electric meter and energy consump-tion profiling system is also accessible to users and the energysupply company. By incorporating control coupled with pro-filing, the developed system creates some degree of aware-ness among users, encouraging them towards conservationof energy. An additional feature added to the developed EPSis global positioning system (GPS) to indicate the locationof consumers, helping to create traffic profile for energy sup-pliers. This can also be beneficial when used with sensorsto indicate energy meter tampering/theft and thus reducingoverall power loses.

2 System Overview

The developed EPS is based on existing electric power dis-tribution system which uses digital electric meters installedat consumers place. Our developed energy monitoring, pro-filing and control system is shown in Fig. 2. It uses exist-ing digital electric meters with an aim to interface themwith an indigenously developed transceiver module through ameter interface unit (MIU). The transceiver transmits electricenergy consumption data through SMS to transceiver placedat server end whereas in case of GPRS the server is accessedover the internet by consumer transceiver. The server appli-cation is capable of updating the energy consumption datain the database in real time using SMS or GPRS. The serverapplication then makes use of this data to generate profile ofeach consumer.

2.1 Digital Energy Meter and Meter Interface Unit (MIU)

Single phase digital energy meter A283 manufactured byMicroTech Industries, Pakistan, has been used with the

Fig. 1 Concept of AMRsystem using GSM network

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Fig. 2 Architecture of energy monitoring, profiling and control system

Fig. 3 Working of digital energy meter

indigenously developed system. Meter contains Teridian sys-tem-on-chip (SoC) as shown in Fig. 3 which generates pulsesthat are in direct accordance with the reading, at a rateof 3,200 pulses per kW of energy consumed. Using thisapproach, the meter reading is attained.

The meter interface unit is the component that is attachedto the energy meters installed at the consumer end. It isresponsible for acquiring electric energy consumption dataand then processing it into a useful format, fit to be sent asSMS/GPRS data to the server end. It includes the SMS/GPRSsending/receiving portion which sends the data using GSMnetwork, and receives incoming data. The very basic con-troller Atmel 89C52 was programmed to fulfil the functionof the MIU. The meter interface unit has been developed toperform following tasks.

2.1.1 Pulse Detection and Counting

The meter reading collection is based on the acquisition andcounting of pulses, transmitted by energy meters [8]. In order

Fig. 4 Meter interface unit basic functioning

to get reading from the meters, the first task is to detect andcount these pulses as shown in Fig. 4. It requires developmentof a basic pulse detector circuit, followed by summation ofthe number of occurrences of the pulses detected, and com-putation of the energy value accordingly.

2.1.2 Sending Energy Consumption Data

The consumption data attained is transmitted using the GSMmodule. The consumption data can be sent continuously orafter a predefined definite time interval, such that certainnumber of consumed units is reported by the transceiver mod-ule to the server application. However, polling is an addedfeature provided at the server end, which enables the serverto poll the consumer end module to send the consumptiondata of the electric meter, at any time. It infuses flexibility inthe system and adds to the control exercised by the server.The server has to send a message of UPD_READ (UpdateReading) to the consumer, to trigger response from the MIU.

2.1.3 Receiving Data at Consumer End and RemoteShutdown of Energy Meter

The meter interface unit is programmed to receive SMS/GPRS data sent from the server end, extract relevant infor-mation from it, and then act accordingly. This portion laysfoundation for incorporating control in the system. The mes-sages that are received are stored in the SIM memory as andwhen they arrive and are received by the MIU serially. Themicrocontroller is programmed to interpret the extractedmessage and then act accordingly to fulfil the requisite func-tion. A major feature of control has been incorporated inthe system, which provides the server with a facility, usingwhich, the electric supply company can cut off the energyconnection of any user and reconnect it with equal ease,remotely, without the need to send someone to do the taskmanually. It can also be utilized in case the property is vacatedby a tenant or when the supply needs to be disconnected due

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to non-payment of energy bill. Moreover, if the supply com-pany has a policy of placing restraints on the consumption, torein the luxurious use as a measure for energy conservation,the defaulters can be penalized by cutting off their supply fora predetermined duration of time. A relay circuit is interfacedwith MIU, between the mains supply and the meter for thispurpose.

2.2 Transceiver Module at Consumer End and Server End

The transceiver system at the consumer end and server end iscapable of sending the energy consumption data using SMSor GPRS. GSM technology incorporates encryption hencethe data transmitted is secure. Transceiver may use more thanone GSM SIMs to send/receive energy consumption data orcontrol data since lack of service or network congestion can-not be afforded. Various consumers send timed messagescontaining their respective energy consumption readings sothat the server receives one message at a time and SMS isdelivered without delay. In order to receive messages from theGSM modem connected with the web server, an applicationhas been developed in C#.NET and installed on the server.It receives messages from the GSM modem and GPRS, siftthrough the message and extract the consumer number andenergy reading, upload the consumption readings into thedatabase, detect usage exceeding threshold, detect locationchange of meter, alert the consumer of excess energy usageand/or meter theft via text message. Meter theft is controlledusing GPS module which is integral part of SIM548C (GSM+ GPS module). Location of the meter, as received by theglobal positioning system, is transmitted to the server endafter specific intervals. The location received is compared tothe location stored in the database, and in case of a mismatch,corresponding alert is generated. Use of GPS in the devel-oped system is an efficient measure that forestalls the metertheft, adding security to the electric suppliers equipment.

2.3 Database Management System and Web Development

The database is maintained using MySQL server, in whichtwo tables are maintained. Real-time consumption table logsall energy readings, which is edited with each new receivedSMS. The users table keeps record of subscribers, whichcan only be edited by the administrator. The content of thereceived SMS is added as a new row in the consumptionstable. A website was developed in PHP scripting language,with the purpose to generate the energy profiles of users, toview user records, energy consumption and billing informa-tion. The website may be accessed from any location by theconsumer or the administrator making the monitoring andprofiling system remote in true sense.

2.3.1 Consumer Home Page

The homepage shows general information about the loggedin user as shown in Fig. 5. Information such as todays usage,usage since last payment, bill since last payment is updatedon refreshing the page.

2.3.2 Administrator Home Page

The administrator has the option to add a new user, view theexisting users, manage the users or view energy consumptionfor all or individual users (shown in Fig. 6).

3 Testing and Results

At the initial phase of the system development, the meterreading acquisition approach has been tested by comparingthe pulse readings against the reading displayed by the energymeter through a test load of 1,000 W. As the results provedthe approach accurate, it has been utilized for acquiring themeter reading.

Fig. 5 Consumers home page

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Fig. 6 Administrators homepage

Fig. 7 Testing of system with load attached

The complete system as shown in Fig. 7, once devel-oped, was tested by operating three meters simultaneously, sotheir timing and synchronization of sending meter readings

to the servers, could be tested. The three meters were pro-grammed to transmit readings serially, one after the other,so the performance of the server end application could betested.

The testing phase provided accurate results, hence verify-ing the performance of the system. It justified the use of GSMnetwork for reliable transfer of data. During testing phase,results proved that GSM network equips the system withalways-connected, two-way communication, helping enableboth monitoring and control. Moreover, due to the nation-wide coverage of already installed GSM infrastructure, thereis no need for installation or upgradation of infrastructureor software. SMS provided by GSM network adds to thereliability of the system, because of its store and forward-ing feature, such that no SMS is lost even in case of poorGSM signals. GSM technology already caters to preven-tion of outside sources from accessing or tampering with

Fig. 8 Billing versusconsumption

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transmitted data, by utilizing encryption techniques. Thedevelopment of universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) introduces an optional universal subscriber identitymodule (USIM), which provides greater security, and mutualauthentication, by using a longer authentication key. The pro-filing system generated accurate and elaborate consumptiongraphs, fulfilling its function maximally. The profiling sys-tem is equipped with the feature to produce elaborate andillustrative curves, showing daily, monthly and yearly con-sumption of energy, along with the billing info as shown inFigs. 8, 9.

The energy curve for any month is plotted for the specifieduser for the current year, in the form of a bar chart as shownin Fig. 10.

4 Analysis

A system of remote energy monitoring, profiling and con-trol system has been built with efficient utilization of theexisting digital meters and the already installed GSM infra-structure. With the advent of digital technology, electrome-chanical meters are continuously being replaced by digitalmeters. Digital energy meters offer greater convenience toimplement and establish automatic meter reading systemelectronically. To develop an efficient, reliable and effec-tive system of AMR, various technologies have been uti-lized, analyzed in Table 1. The developed project utilizes theexisting wide spread and already installed infrastructure ofGSM network. The store and forwarding features of SMS

Fig. 9 Energy usage curve

Fig. 10 Monthly energy usagein a year

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Table 1 Analysis of AMR technologies

Technology Analysis

Handheld, touch-based Transparent but requires manual meterreading

Mobile Short range of mobility, requires teamof readers

Fixed network, ethernet Expensive infrastructure requiredRF Network Usually simplex (one-way) systemsPower line communication Inherent disadvantage of interference

and noiseWireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) Reduced coverage area, installation

of access points required

allow reliable meter reading delivery when the GSM signalis affected by poor weather conditions.

4.1 Compact Design and Cost Effective Solution

The developed prototype makes efficient usage of the age-less yet simple 8052 microcontroller which is an easy to use,low cost and versatile controller. A single microcontrolleris utilized as a meter interface unit and also formulates themessages containing the meter reading via the transmissionmodule. Synchronization in pulse counting is not requiredwith the digital meter since the readings are transmitted inthe form of pulse counts and not energy readings in Kilo-Watt hours. SIM548C has been used that is equipped withGPS technology for satellite navigation along with Quad-Band GSM/GPRS functionality. The compact design of theprototype makes it easy to integrate into the existing digitalmeter casing. This lays off the cost for redesigning the exist-ing meters and saves both time and cost for the integrationof additional hardware components.

4.2 Location Monitoring

As an additional feature, a GPS module has also been incor-porated in the system so that an immediate low level alert tothe consumer could be generated in case the position of themeter is changed indicating meter theft.

4.3 Automated System with No Data Loss

Since there are a huge number of consumers, the prototypemodules have been programmed to transmit their readingsat different instances in time so that no data is lost dueto network congestion at the server end. If consumptiondata is not delivered to the server end, it is not a problemsince the module sends the cumulative pulse count from thetime the meter was turned on, not the pulse count betweensuccessive messages. At the server end the SIM number isused to identify and retrieve the consumer details from thereceived messages so the overhead of assigning, transmit-ting and maintaining unique UIDs is obviated. The processof extracting useful data and uploading it to the databaseis completely automated and requires no human interven-tion.

4.4 Efficient Monitoring and Transparent billing

An efficient mechanism for monitoring of energy consump-tion has been ensured with detailed consumption informationin the form of a dynamically uploaded consumption tablein database as shown in Fig. 11.

The user database as shown in Fig. 12 is also maintainedin the form of a separate data table and may be edited easilyusing the administrative command of update.

The system is developed with an inherent transparencyfeature, where the consumer can access his billing informa-tion at any instance of time, along with the elaborate recordsbeing maintained. Bill amount for various consumption val-ues may be examined by the consumer in the form of ademonstrative billing information curve, which removes theneed of any hassle for later verification of bills. The user canalso monitor his bill/current energy consumption calculatedsince his last payment.

4.5 Ubiquitous Web Interface with Elaborate Profiling

An illustrative and interactive web interface not only makesaccessing user, consumption and billing information moreeasier, but also makes it ubiquitous in the sense that both

Fig. 11 Database consumptiontable

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Fig. 12 Users database table

Fig. 13 Consumption historypage

the consumer as well as the supplier may access theirdesired information from anywhere and at any time. Thedata maintained is current, such that it is updated in realtime.

The user may view his consumption history as shownin Fig. 13 in tabular form or in the form of an energyusage curve for any specified duration of time. Vivid datapoints, that is exact date and time value for any consump-tion may also be viewed. User profiles are maintained inthe form of consumption trends, such that the administra-tor (supplier) has the option of viewing both the yearlycumulative consumption of all users in a monthly break-down fashion as a bar graph, or the supplier may alsoview a consumers energy usage for a particular month.The administrator also has the option of having a birdseye view of the meters placement on an area map asshown in Fig. 14. The administrator only has to click onthe place marker for any user, and the respective con-sumers consumption curve for the current month is dis-played.

5 Future Work

This system has been developed with the idea to automatethe energy metering system, which would result in efficiencyin the way consumption of electricity is recorded. The futurework in this field would require making the system more pro-ficient so that it can be implemented commercially. Theseimprovements will include addition of more features thatwould add to the efficiency of the system. The underuse ofmeter processing needs to be countered, by introducing suchan approach of meter reading acquisition that would collectnot only the meter reading in kWh, but also other usefulinformation like the meter serial number, current and previ-ous month MDI, etc. This approach would prove beneficial,and would lead to optimum use of the advanced meter pro-cessing, available these days in the electronic energy meters.An effective tampering detection system can also be incorpo-rated in the already devised system. This can be achieved ifthe reading from the substation point, from which the energyis being branched out to the consumers, can be attained.

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Fig. 14 Location of consumerson map

An improvement in the profiling system can be in the formof forming probabilistic profiles of consumers.

6 Conclusion

This system paves the way to automatic metering of electric-ity consumption. A complete working prototype of remoteenergy monitoring and profiling system has been developedto demonstrate an automatic energy meter reading systemusing GSM network. It takes the advantage of existing GSMinfrastructure which is widely spread in the country and hasgood coverage area. The prototype includes simple and easyinstallation of meter interface units, which need to be attachedto the already installed energy meters, and the profiling sys-tem would require trained personnel to monitor the servers.It provides effective, reliable and efficient wireless automaticpower reading, billing, and notification. The additional fea-tures equip the system with the capability to perform manyother different functions that are beneficial to both the elec-tricity supplier as well as the electricity user. Not forgettingthe system devised can also be extended to be used with watermeters as well as gas meters or even a combination of thesethree different meters.

References

1. Mohit Arora Freescale Semiconductor. Prevent Hacking, Tamperingin Energy Meters

2. Tamarkin, T.: Automatic meter reading. http://www.usclcorp.com/news/Automatic_Power_Reading.pdf

3. Khalifa, T.; Naik, K.; Nayak, A.: A survey of communication pro-tocols for automatic meter reading applications. In: IEEE Commu-nications Surveys and Tutorials, vol. 13, no. 2 (2011)

4. Sehgal, A.: AMR Offers Multiple Benefits. Pipeline and gas tech-nology. Itron Inc. Spokane, Washington (2005)

5. Rodney Tan, H.G.; Lee, C.H.; Mok, V.H.: IEEE automatic powermeter reading system using GSM network. In: The 8th InternationalPower Engineering Conference (IPEC), pp. 465469 (2007)

6. Primicanta, A.H.; Nayan, M.Y.; Awan, M.: Hybrid Automatic MeterReading System. In: Computer Technology and Development 2009.ICCTD (2009)

7. Rashdi, A.; Malik, R.; Rashid, S.; Ajmal, A.; Sadiq, S.: Remoteenergy monitoring, profiling and control through GSM network. In:Proceedings of the IEEE 8th International Conference on Innova-tions in Information Technology (Innovations 2012). Al Ain, UAE(1820 March 2012)

8. Tan, S.Y.; Moghawemi, M.: PIC-based automatic meter reading andcontrol over the low voltage distribution networks. In: Student Con-ference on Research and Development Proceedings, Shah Alam,Malaysia (2002)

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Remote Energy Monitoring, Profiling and Control Through GSM NetworkAbstract1 Introduction2 System Overview2.1 Digital Energy Meter and Meter Interface Unit (MIU)2.1.1 Pulse Detection and Counting2.1.2 Sending Energy Consumption Data2.1.3 Receiving Data at Consumer End and Remote Shutdown of Energy Meter

2.2 Transceiver Module at Consumer End and Server End2.3 Database Management System and Web Development2.3.1 Consumer Home Page2.3.2 Administrator Home Page

3 Testing and Results4 Analysis4.1 Compact Design and Cost Effective Solution4.2 Location Monitoring4.3 Automated System with No Data Loss4.4 Efficient Monitoring and Transparent billing4.5 Ubiquitous Web Interface with Elaborate Profiling

5 Future Work6 ConclusionReferences

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