Technical analysis of the impact of smart meters' battery useful life on the management of a service company

The interest in tele-controlled meters (Smart Meter) derives from their diffusion, promoted by the European Union and regulated by law, in the industrial sector of utilities distribution (light, gas and water) with different power supply technologies. In the electricity sector, these are supplied by the mains, in the gas and water sector, it has focused on battery power, becoming the critical element for the reliability of meters. In this context, the following study aims to evaluate, through a case study, the economic impact caused by the early replacement of the battery pack or the entire meter, which causes an increase in operating and plant costs in addition to the non-amortization of the meters. The methodology adopted starts from the evaluation of the correlation between data transmission and battery discharge using deep learning. Afterwards, starting from the knowledge of the probability distribution function of the transmitted data for each connection, different consumption profiles were simulated with the Monte Carlo method to identify the remaining useful life of the batteries. The comparison of the estimated useful life with the nominal lifetime of the meter, which is required to manufacturers by tender specifications, made it possible to assess the economic impact of the extraordinary maintenance operations required. The results made it possible to evaluate the strategic importance of the meters' batteries, whose incorrect functioning has a strong influence on the entire company management.