SAV installs the world's first 2-way heat network to control consumer access - wirelessly

OMS is a nonprofit consortium of +70 manufacturers, utilities, and tech firms focused on developing and promoting the Open Metering System (OMS) - a vendor-independent communication standard for smart metering. OMS integrates consumption data across electricity, gas, heat, and water, including submetering, into a single interoperable system based on the M-Bus standard.

Read more about the OMS Group on their website here. 

OMS LPWAN Burst Mode is a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) communication technology developed by OMS and publicly available as part of the OMS specification. It has been specifically developed for metering. It introduces 2-way communication and offers an unrivaled combination of:

• High performance:
  • Up to 100% SLA - depending on the applied infrastructure
  • 2-way latency of 15 minutes in mains powered cases
• High security: Based on the advanced encryption standard (AES) using OMS Security Profile D. Commands are further secured by applying an additional layer of security
• Interoperability: OMS Generation 5 communication protocol
• 2-way communication:  
  • Valve control: Ability to open and close valves at the installation remotely
  • Clock Adjustment: The concentrators automatically adjust the meter clock to always be accurate  
• Low power consumption: Low power transmission and low transmit duty cycle enables a +16 year battery lifetime
• Low total cost of ownership: More than 20 dB (equals x100 times) better reception sensitivity than wireless M-Bus Mode C resulting in more than 5 times better coverage 

SAV Systems Ltd, a UK leader in heat network metering, partnered with Kamstrup to develop a two-way wireless metering solution for PAYG (pay-as-you-go) heat network installations. The two companies worked closely together with Metropolitan, a provider of low-carbon heating, hot water, and cooling networks for new residential developments across the UK. Metropolitan designs, installs, owns, and operates community heat hubs and network infrastructure. They partner with SAV Systems on the heating solutions.

UK heat delivered via networks is projected to rise from ~12.9 TWh (2020) towards ~95 TWh by 2050. (Source: GOV.UK) Heat networks are an important part of the UK government’s plan to reduce carbon emissions and cut energy consumption. The networks can provide low-emission heating from a variety of sources, making them an attractive alternative to technologies such as gas boilers, and an obvious solution for lowering the nation’s climate impact.

How does pay-as-you-go work? 

Under a PAYG scheme, consumers pay in advance, enjoying access to heat as long as they have sufficient credit. If they don’t, the billing company can turn off the heat by remotely operating a valve in the consumer’s HIU (heat interface unit) until the consumer has topped up the account again.  

PAYG is common in the UK and has proved to be an efficient way of reducing utility debt and consumer energy usage. In fact, learnings from several PAYG schemes show that consumers can save up to 20% more energy than credit billed users because they are more engaged with their heat usage. SAV offers their PAYG solution through their sister-company KURVE. 

Photo: Kurve Technologies innovative and market-leading Pay-As-You-Go app that’s the software behinds SAVs offering 

The Kamstrup MULTICAL® 603S meters are installed in the HIUs at the SAV factory before being shipped to the installation site. Having the metering solution pre-installed in the HIU prior to getting to site allows for the PAYG valves and meter to be integrated in a controlled and tested environment. This means that on site, the installer only needs to do simple HIU connections to get the metering system up and running.

Each meter includes the newly developed OMS LPWAN Burst Mode communication module, which can also send signals to SAV’s relay to connect or disconnect the supply at each installation—providing the required functionality for SAV’s PAYG solution.

Kamstrup has developed several customised features in the MULTICAL® 603S meters to meet SAV’s requirements. One example is the bypass function, which allows consumers to manually enable heat supply even if the metering network is offline while the valve is closed. Users can do this up to three times, and SAV can remotely reset the bypass counter via 2-way communication. The result is a system that maintains flexibility and ensures uninterrupted access to heat and hot water— even in the unlikely event that the network is down. 

The meter data is received and transmitted through Kamstrup’s newest generation of powerful, resilient concentrators: the READy Concentrator 2M. It delivers exceptional range and signal strength, offering 4–5 times better coverage than wireless M-Bus and reaching up to a range of 5 km. This means a single concentrator can collect data from thousands of meters, resulting in a communication solution with a very low total cost of ownership.

Kamstrup’s Meter Data Management system, READy Manager, enables full two-way communication directly from the software client or via API. This minimise costly on-site engineer visits, streamlines operations, and significantly reduces costs for SAV and their customers.