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Pointers to the future - how BLP is helping a major USA utility to reduce its costs
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| Product |
Utilities |
| Description |
An article about how BLP has developed a remote disconnect/connect system designed to reduce customer service costs |
| Author |
David Sadler-Smith |
| Printer friendly version |
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BLP Components has been working closely with KeySpan Energy, a major USA utility, to develop an innovative remote disconnect/reconnect system designed to reduce KeySpan's customer service costs.
Long Island, to the east of New York, has a large number of seasonal communities in which residents arrive at the start of summer and depart again as winter approaches, leaving their houses vacant. For reasons of safety, security and economy, the power supplies to these properties have to be connected and disconnected at least once every year. In the case of rented accommodation the supply may be disconnected and reconnected several times during the season owners often require tenants to open an electricity account in their own name
Although these customers represent a relatively small proportion of KeySpan's business, the associated service costs are disproportionately high because every disconnection and reconnection entails a site visit and an unrecoverable cost to KeySpan in the region of $100.
KeySpan therefore set about finding a technological solution which would allow the same job to be performed remotely - with the proviso that installation and operating costs must be low enough to give an acceptable payback time
Innovative use of existing infrastructure
Working closely with Keyspan, BLP's engineers have developed a remote disconnect/reconnect device based on BLP's PowerpulseTM
When a customer contacts KeySpan's customer service centre to request a reconnection, the service assistant will instruct the customer first to turn off their mains supply's circuit breaker and then to'arm' the switching unit by pressing a button. Once armed, it will reconnect the supply on receiving KeySpan's coded signal via the paging network
The new system incorporates robust safeguards to protect customers and their property. It will not connect the supply unless it receives the correct signal, and, if armed accidentally or without authorisation, it will disarm itself after about 15 minutes. Should the customer report any kind of problem with a reconnected supply, it can be disconnected remotely with no further intervention by the customer and a service representative sent to investigate.
Initial trials of the system indicated a high level of customer satisfaction,- it enables KeySpan to provide a personal service with very rapid disconnect or reconnect on demand. KeySpan will also achieve its cost saving objectives, to the extent that many installations will pay for themselves in a single season.
Potential for wider application
BLP Components, a member of the Roxboro Group of companies, is continuing to work with KeySpan to develop and market this innovative system further in the USA and is offering the same technology in Europe and worldwide.
The system's low cost and reliability, with no requirement for dedicated telecommunications since it employs existing pager infrastructure, offers clear benefits for a wide variety of applications. As well as the domestic disconnect/reconnect for which it was developed, the same core solution could readily be applied to other situations where power must be supplied to a transient population - for example, a university campus.
BLP also foresees the technology finding its way into other different areas such as load management and remote telemetry. Manufacturers interested in developing new applications should contact BLP for an initial discussion.
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