Energy data sources

Smart Meter and Real-time data sources

📘

Be aware of the granularity of your data source

Some CE-API calls are only suitable for input data with high granularity, derived via NET2GRID IoT hardware. In particular recognition of individual appliances is only supported with data sampling frequency of 1 to 10 seconds, not for 15 minutes samples.

The Customer Engagement Service is based on energy measurements from households. In general there are two ways to derive energy data from a household installation. The first is using the data that is retrieved by energy service providers from the digital meter in the household via the cellular network of local energy distribution companies. This type of data is usually called smart meter data.

The other way to derive energy data from a household installation is to use IoT hardware, specifically tailored for this purpose. NET2GRID provides hardware that can be plugged into a large variety of smart meters and provides DIN meters and clamp solutions to install in meter cabinets. These hardware solutions use the WiFi of the customer to send the data straight to the customer Insight platform to be consumed by the CE-API. This type of data feed is called real-time data.

The benefit of smart meter data is that no hardware is needed at the user side. The user only has to opt in that available smart meter data may be used for the energy insight service. Often energy retailers already possess large data sets of smart meter data.

The benefit of real-time data is that the data granularity of measurements is much higher, improving insights accuracy. The data is directly available and energy events detected by the hardware on the edge can be used to trigger real-time alarms. For instance, the user may be warned for using more capacity than his limit or it might trigger other software, like smart charging at the time an electric vehicle is plugged in.

The granularity of smart meter data enables activity (category) breakdown,
real-time data enables single appliance event detection as well.

Smart meter data

Smart meter data usually has a granularity of a single electricity value per 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The granularity of gas values is usually 30 to 60 minutes. Smart meter data is often ingested in the NET2GRID platform via a daily file import from an energy retailer Meter Data Management system or national energy data hub. Smart meter data therefore does usually provide measurements up till yesterday or the day before yesterday.

👍

File import of smart meter data

To implement a daily file import in NET2GRID predefined data format, reach out to receive the NET2GRID Measurements File Interface specification.

In short, as a standard way of importing smart meter data, measurement files for households are expected daily in an S3 bucket, providing the following information:

• CSD (required): Cumulative (total) electricity consumed at a given timestamp, or a delta with the previous timestamp. Optionally two CSD tiers (for peak and offpeak consumption) are supported.
• CSR (required in case of solar panels): cumulative energy fed back to the grid. CSR can also be differentiated into 2 tiers.
• GAS: cumulative consumption of Gas. This is the gas meter reading at a given timestamp.

Real-time data

Real-time data usually has a granularity between 1 to 10 seconds. This range is partly determined by the threshold that determines a change in power to send a new measurement. Because the interval of these energy measurements is close to a second, it is referred to as power data. So real-time data provides not only electricity data (the use of power over time), but also a power pattern, that enables detection of specific electrical appliances.

👍

Onboarding NET2GRID hardware

For onboarding the NET2GRID hardware via the app using Bluetooth, reach out to receive the NET2GRID hardware onboarding guidelines