IGL picks Genesis Gas Solutions to launch prepaid smart gas metering system

New Delhi: To launch its prepaid smart gas metering system, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) has picked Genesis Gas Solutions. This is the first instance that this technology is being deployed by any city gas distribution company in India. The new smart metres supplied by Genesis, in partnership with LoRaWAN Internet of Things (IoT) network, will let customers monitor their gas usage more accurately in real-time against available credit, allowing for increased operational efficiency for IGL.

The IoT network has been established by Tata Communications in Delhi NCR, and is now being extended to Rewari.

Why smart meters?

With LoRaWAN's low-energy consumption, smart metres for gas usage can be installed independent from the main power source, along with a battery life of up to 10 years. This has enabled IGL to rise above some of the key limitations posed by existing post-paid technology solutions — estimated/wrong billing, locked premises, tampering of metres and reversal of bills.

So far, 5,000 prepaid smart gas metres have been installed in Rewari in the first stage of deployment.

Human errors eliminated

"By implementing this smart metering solution, we have been able to eliminate human errors caused by manual metre reading, optimise capacity planning and improve cash flows," IGL's Managing Director ES Ranganathan said.

Lays foundation of Digital India

Technology advancements such as IoT are laying the foundation of Digital India, VS Shridhar, Senior Vice President and Head for IoT at Tata Communications, said. "Smart metering is gathering pace in the energy market, boosting efficiencies and enhancing customer experience," he said.