Energy and Industrial IoT

Reduce the human cost of gathering readings

• Many areas, especially rural locations, relied on a combination of historical usage and manual meter reading to collect data; this was both resource-intensive and not always accurate.
• Automated solutions allow for real-time or daily collection of usage, reducing clerical efforts. Service technicians no longer are required to visit homes to collect data.
• It also has enabled many utilities to let users see their daily usage, which often emphasizes more optimized usage

Reduce the theft of power/water through more real-time information

• Traditionally, it has been difficult for utilities to detect the theft of power through their standard equipment.
• Smart Grids' automation enables utilities to understand and improve the energy usage (compared to the power being billed), allowing them to detect a possible theft sooner.

Smart meters enable real-time or scheduled communication with meters in the field.

This allows for utilities to gather information which enables them to:

• Customized billing plans (such as billing per-use, time of day billing and more)
• In many jurisdictions, there is no difference in the amount billed at different times of the day/week to the users; this is because the utilities cannot record usage based on the time of day or day of the week used.
• This means that there is little motivation for users to reduce their usage during peak periods, often causing overloading of the power grid.
• Smart metering/grid solutions allow utilities the flexibility to bill users based on the time of usage. This means that they can encourage users to move non-essential usage to off-peak hours, saving them money and reducing the demand on the power grid.

Providing real-time and historical data about the flow of the commodity

• One of the issues with pipelines is often the remoteness of the location. It has meant that readings are taken infrequently. This allowed leaks and other problems to go unnoticed for an extended period of time.
• IoT solutions allow for real-time access to data regarding the flow of the commodity. Operators can use this intelligence to run analytics, resulting in less downtime and product loss.

Provide warnings as to possible threats, including earthquakes, changes in weather patterns or vandalism.

• Sensor-based IoT solutions allow companies to detect possible threats. This may include an earthquake, a disastrous storm or even the risk of vandalism.
• While the solution cannot prevent these things, the early warning allows the company to take action, reducing its impact - can shut valves and stop flow,
• Remote control solutions using IoT-based technology allow companies to remotely close valves, re-route traffic and more from many miles away.

Keeping track of the use and location of essential machines, equipment, and tools

• Construction have a large amount of people and equipment, and it can be easy to lose track of something; even a large piece of machinery.
• IoT solutions use technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS to keep track of essential items. You can always know where they are and be notified if someone attempts to take them off-site without permission.

Alerting to unwanted access on the site

• It is a safety issue to keep the construction site restricted to authorized personnel, it is wise for site to alert for unwanted access
• IoT solutions use a combination of technologies like sonar, infrared and motion sensing to alert unwanted access, especially after hours.

Ensuring the on-time arrival of crucial equipment and materials

• Construction sites are big business, and any downtime is costly. Many tasks/roles depend on the on-time delivery of critical items, such as pouring concrete.
• GPS solutions ensure that things arrive where and when they are supposed to.

Providing a reliable and secure connection to critical resources and suppliers

• When one thinks of a construction site, you may not think of an Internet connection as a required tool. However, like any business, construction sites rely on the Internet for many aspects of their work.
• From sending/receiving blueprints to placing orders for supplies to sending in time records: a live, secure and quick Internet connection is not an option; it is a must.
• Cellular-based solutions are portable and can be set up in minute are not vunderlable to accidents like a mistaken line cut.

Monitoring for potential issues, such as temperature/humidity

- Construction sites can be dangerous; sensors are helping to reduce it dramatically.
- They alert to issues that may affect your workers (such as extreme heat/cold and humidity) equipment movement and high wind levels and earthquakes.