CHICAGO & PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Incoho Advanced Technologies announced that it has signed into a licensing agreement with PECO (formerly Philadelphia Energy Company) to commercialize PECO’s Meter Defender technology, an Internet of Things system developed by PECO’s innovation group.
Meter Defender integrates an IoT device, cellular communications, and SaaS software to give utilities 24/7 line-of-sight to meter tampering and electricity theft. Meter Defender devices sense any motion and alert the utility of any unauthorized access, allowing the utility to dispatch crews and immediately respond. Installation is quick and easy, utilizing a mobile app to arm the device and establishing a chain of evidence with a short description and pictures.
In 2013, Forbes estimated electricity theft costs US utilities $6B annually, line-loss that electric rate-payers ultimately fund.
Meter Defender technology helps utilities lower costs (by avoiding unnecessary and expensive truck rolls), reduce theft of electricity, and improve safety for utility workers and customers. By improving line-loss, Meter Defender helps utilities to lower electricity costs for rate payers.
“It’s very dangerous for any of our electric customers to tamper with electrical equipment in the field,” said Kristen Chance, manager, Revenue Protection, PECO. “Fortunately, the ability to rapidly respond to theft is a big deterrent to further tampering.”
“We appreciate PECO’s trust in licensing this technology to Incoho,” said Jeff Elliott, CEO of Incoho. “This is the first of multiple IoT solutions we plan to bring to the utility industry based on our years of experience in the sector.”
For more information about Meter Defender, please visit Incoho Advanced Technologies at www.incohoat.com.
Incoho and Incoho Advanced Technologies provide consulting and technology incubation services, largely for the utility sector.