BIG DATA – ANALYTICS Opting for enhanced analytics provides Victoria consumers with increased insights into energy usage In short: How the use of an enhanced metering analytics programme is bringing AGL Energy closer to their customers In 2004 the Essential Services Commission of Australia mandated smart meters for 2.6 million residential and small business electricity customers in the state of Victoria. The rollout commenced in 2009 and is due for completion at the end of 2013. The programme, which was met with some resistance by consumers and consumer advocacy groups, has resulted in a re-think of the regulations around mandated smart meter rollouts, and at the time of writing, new proposals are being considered to move toward a model where smart metering is driven by the market instead of by regulation. Smart vs basic meters In February this year AGL Energy Limited launched My AGL IQ®, a national online energy monitoring tool for residential, small business, commercial and industrial customers. 62 Using Smart Meter Analytics (SMA) and a HANA in memory database, My AGL IQ® allows consumers to track, monitor and plan personal energy usage based on a number of parameters and across meter and energy types. AGL markets and sells natural gas, electricity and energy related products and services to approximately 3.5 million residential, small business and commercial Australian customers. According to Owen Coppage, AGL Chief Information Officer, the My AGL IQ® programme can be used by consumers for gas, electricity or solar usage, utilising either smart or basic meters. The difference of course, is that the level of granular information available to those with standard meters varies to that offered to smart meter customers (at AGL, smart meters are read daily, while basic meters are read quarterly). Given the huge disparity between the amount of information available from smart meters vs that available from the basic meters, AGL created algorithms that provide forecasting of energy use so the company was able to provide something that was of value to a customer with a basic meter, even if the information was not as sophisticated as that provided to someone with a smart meter. METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE - 4 | 2013