Smart Grid/AMI Deployment Support

Utilities that support the Banner billing and customer service platform are faced with unique challenges as they begin to employ smart grid directives, especially where functional and scalability limits prevent ease of integration with other smart grid components. In order to help utilities maximize the investment in their CIS and take advantage of the benefits of smart meter deployments, KamTech Systems offers solutions and development services that serve the Banner user community as it realizes the vision of a Smart Grid.

Service Overview

KamTech prepares and services CIS systems so that they are “smart grid-ready” and able to accommodate new data flows, rate structures, and business processes associated with AMI implementations. KamTech ensures that your billing and customer care system is properly tuned and ready for changes prior to a smart grid rollout. Specific checks include:

• Readiness for interval data and MDMS feeds to see that your CIS and database components will correctly recognize data streams that represent more frequent and more complex determinants
• Rate & charge linkage integrity checks between system connections for billing calculations and charges; these evaluations ensure the correct bills are reaching customers in an otherwise more complex billing state
• Data analytics that verify the quality of inputs for billing calculations, charges, and other feeds part of a smart environment; properly cleansed data can avoid ongoing billing errors and manual processes potentially exacerbated by smart grid conditions
• System tuning to reduce batch windows that cushion the time required to process increasing data flows from interval reads and distributed generation, and mitigates growing batch periods that could otherwise delay billing and receivables velocity
• Performance analytics that can reduce or level system hardware costs and leverage existing assets to keep AMI integration costs low
• Regression testing to insure accuracy of MDMS feeds with the CIS application

Smart Grid Support Services

KamTech can also enhance your CIS platform and related systems as part of the following smart grid initiatives:

• AMI System Implementations & MDMS Integrations: KamTech offers consultants that are accredited and trained in specific MDMS platforms, and have experience implementing these systems at utilities of all types.
• Customer Portals: KamTech can develop information portals to help your customers understand historical consumption and billing patterns, and reduce inbound inquiries related to time-of-use, demand response, or other smart-gird related programs.
• Smart Meter Deployment: KamTech offers a bolt-on application unique to Banner that helps manage and maintain the exchange efforts as part of an enterprise-wide AMI implementation
• Demand Response Program Analysis: KamTech can develop reporting and analysis functionality within Banner to determine changes in customer behaviors and financial impacts as part of DR initiatives
• Business Intelligence Layers: KamTech offers development services for BI and reporting needs specific to Smart Grid
• GIS Interfaces / Location Intelligence: KamTech can develop interfaces to geographic information systems that are key to Smart Grid networks; graphic visual presentation of real-time data can help utilities better manage customer service, assets, and operations
• Marketing and Promotional Program Modules: KamTech can develop software and CIS add-ons to help utilities refine which rate programs are best targeted at specific consumers and businesses