Automated readings, customer satisfaction and interoperability in Turkey
For over 10 years, Diehl Metering and its partner Madenerj Inc. have worked with Izmir Jeotermal to continually optimize the utility’s network, monitoring and billing. The company operates one of the largest geothermal district heating networks in the world, benefiting from the high levels of geothermal activity in and around Turkey’s third biggest city.
Back in 2011, Izmir Jeotermal’s network consisted of meters from various manufacturers. Since each brand used its own radio system with proprietary protocols for collecting meter data, the utility struggled to realize automatic meter readings, resulting in a manual data collection process that was time-consuming, labor-intensive and prone to billing errors. That same year, Diehl Metering launched its SHARKY 775 heat meters in Turkey, and Izmir Jeotermal ordered 2,500 units to enable remote data reading for the first time.
Two years later, the utility added another 11,000 SHARKY meters, allowing it to fully benefit from the Open Metering System (OMS) communication standard used by our meters. The interoperability offered by OMS meants that meters and devices from other brands could be easily integrated into the network.
Over time, Izmir Jeotermal was so impressed by the quality and performance of our SHARKY heat meters that they decided to rely exclusively on our meters. Today, the utility has some 30,000 SHARKY meters in its network, and meter data is collected remotely via a Walk-by solution. This enables the company to deliver reliable monthly billing, reducing customer complaints and boosting the utility’s image. With data available more frequently, Izmir Jeotermal can also better monitor its network, improving efficiency through optimized flow rates and leak detection.
The customer has expressed particular satisfaction with the robustness of our SHARKY meters. Even under the harsh conditions of geothermal water, the meters are designed to last long into the future, as we continue to work alongside Izmir Jeotermal to optimize their network.
