Inaction ‘not an option’

Rural Water News Spring 2008
Advertising Feature
Kilcoona Caherlistrane Group Water Scheme utilises mobile
technology to simplify meter reading and billing
Kilcoona Caherlistrane GWS have introduced an integrated Meter Reading and Billing System to simplify
their metering and billing process. The H 2 Office system will reduce overheads in managing the scheme and
will automatically calculate end of year bills for each household, based on water use. The system provides
traceability in relation to water consumption as well as accurate account details for each consumer,
while eliminating the problems associated with collecting meter readings on paper and the tedious task of
entering them onto a spreadsheet.
Mobile Meter Reading
The solution includes a rugged mobile computer
for capturing meter readings at the consumer’s
meter. The readings captured on this handheld
device are uploaded to a desktop application that
integrates with the TAS Books accounting system
to generate detailed, itemised bills.
Meter Management
The system allows the group secretary to manage
all customer and meter details on their PC, downloading
to the mobile computer. Each meter has
been fitted with a bar-coded tag to quickly identify
it. The user simply scans the meter to retrieve the
details. The previous meter reading is displayed
and the current reading is entered. Once all the
meters have been read, the user returns to base and
docks the handheld device. All the captured meter
data is uploaded to the PC and is stored electronically.
The secretary can pull up and print historical
meter readings for each member on the PC.
Itemised Billing
Customer billing is as simple as uploading the annual rental details
and pressing enter. The system calculates the water consumption
per customer over the previous period and generates an itemised
bill. The system integrates seamlessly with TAS Books which provides
comprehensive accounting facilities.
Accounts Integration
The solution provided is part of the H2Office suite from Heavey
Mobile Computing and is designed specifically for Group Water
Schemes. It reduces the amount of paperwork involved in reading
meters and in calculating water consumption. The system maintains
records of meter readings for each customer and by integrating with
TAS Books provides standard accounting tools such as detailed
invoices and statements. The product can be integrated with other
accounting packages if required.
Experience
Heavey Mobile has extensive experience in water metering in the
public sector. They have provided solutions for water meter surveying,
installation and commissioning to Donegal, Mayo and
Limerick County Councils.
The rugged mobile computer is a Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro
and is designed for outdoor use. It is spray and dust proof and when
fitted with an extended life battery will operate over a full working
day with recharging. The device can be fitted with an AMR
(Automatic Meter Reading) reader. This allows meters to be read
wirelessly, without physically having to access the meter.
l-r: Conor McGuire (Heavey Mobile), Michael Moran, Claire McHugh, Leo
McHugh (Kilcoona Caherlistrane Group Water Scheme)
11