The excitement around the provision of free water and electricity barely subsided when utility service providers woke up to the headache of delivering on this noble promise. It is a simple matter to credit an individual account with 6 kl of water and 20 kW.h of electricity, but the problem of collecting outstanding revenues for consumption in excess of these levels is now exacerbated. Consumers can rightly demand their free water every month, leaving the service provider with the problem of connecting and disconnecting the service to deliver on credit where it is due.
"The answer clearly lies in a prepaid system", says John MacDonald, Managing Director of Rhomberg.
Tellumat and Rhomberg, market leaders in their respective fields of prepaid electricity and industrial automation, have combined their expertise in a joint venture to introduce a unique and tamperproof solution, for the administration and control of prepaid electricity and water.
"Consumers are entitled to claim their free share and even more if they pay the additional costs," MacDonald says. "With the Ecowater system the service provider will have none of the burdens of connecting, disconnecting or the costly actions of collecting unpaid revenues".
The system consists of two elements:
* A Tellumat customer interface unit (CIU) - a special version of the successful Tellumat prepaid electricity meter which now incorporates additional functionality for the management of water consumption.
* A Rhomberg water dispenser unit - provides measurement and control of the service and replaces the conventional water meter.
"The key to the success of any prepaid system no doubt lies in the vending system. By using the 20-digit standard transfer specification (STS), an industry standard widely used in the world of electricity prepayment, the Tellumat/Rhomberg solution allows for the seamless integration into any vending system that supports STS", says MacDonald.
A thorough and careful analysis was made that resulted in a system, designed and manufactured in South Africa, meeting both the requirements of the service provider and the consumer, for example:
* No batteries or limited life components are used, eliminating costly routine maintenance.
* Materials used are mostly plastic, limiting theft for scrap value.
* Environment appropriate ruggedness of construction.
* Convenient entry of credit at the CIU inside the comfort of home.
* Simplicity of installation and operation.
Tellumat and Rhomberg are currently manufacturing follow-up orders, as a result of several successful trial sites.
Uncompromising flow rate measurement Burkert South Africa
Flow Measurement & Control
Bürkert’s FLOWave is a hygienic and safe flow measurement solution with many benefits for pharmaceutical or food production processes.
Read more...Electromagnetic flow measurement Siemens South Africa
Flow Measurement & Control
The SITRANS FM electromagnetic flowmeters from Siemens deliver high-precision volume measurement of electrically conductive liquid applications – from water, wastewater and irrigation to hygienic processes and even mining slurries with magnetic particles.
Read more...ABB unveils next generation of electromagnetic flowmeters ABB South Africa
Flow Measurement & Control
ABB has launched its latest generation of electromagnetic flowmeters, bringing unmatched accuracy, connectivity and flexibility to industrial and utility applications.
Read more...Precision measurement for ultra-pure water systems
Flow Measurement & Control
[Sponsored] Ultra-pure water (UPW) is essential in industries where even minor contaminants can impact product quality and process integrity. Anton Paar’s L-Cor Coriolis mass flowmeters provide a highly accurate and hygienic solution by directly measuring the mass of the liquid using the Coriolis effect, ensuring a high level of cleanliness.
Read more...Inline process solutions for gold mining Anton Paar
Flow Measurement & Control
[Sponsored]The extraction and processing of gold ore requires precision and efficiency to maximise yield and minimise losses. Automation and continuous monitoring of critical process steps are essential to ensure optimal production. Anton Paar offers advanced inline measurement solutions which enable full automation and real-time monitoring of key steps in gold extraction and processing.
Read more...Magnetic-inductive flow sensor ifm - South Africa
Flow Measurement & Control
The SMF magnetic-inductive flow sensor revolutionises liquid and creamy flow measurement. With IO-Link, it enables digital data transmission, eliminating blind spots in production.
Read more...Hygienic flow measurement for the food industry ifm - South Africa
Flow Measurement & Control
With the SMF magnetic-inductive flow meter, ifm offers a solution for the hygienic flow measurement of media with variable flow rates through a pipe, such as beer, milk or fruit juice.
Read more...Case History 197: Bad reboiler temperature control. Michael Brown Control Engineering
Editor's Choice Flow Measurement & Control
It is very important that reboiler temperature controls operate well in petrochemical refineries, or the product quality can really suffer. I was asked to check such a control in a refinery where they were having problems with one of these controls.
Read more...Precision measurement for ultra-pure water systems Anton Paar
Flow Measurement & Control
[Sponsored] Ultra-pure water (UPW) is essential in industries where even minor contaminants can impact product quality and process integrity. Anton Paar’s L-Cor Coriolis mass flowmeters provide a highly accurate and hygienic solution by directly measuring the mass of the liquid using the Coriolis effect, ensuring a high level of cleanliness.
printer friendly version