Copper Labs' patented technology remotely collects near-real-time data from existing electric, gas, and water meters without extensive infrastructure overhauls, and shares that data via a utility portal, end-user mobile app, or API. Copper's high-resolution consumption data helps electric, gas, and water utilities better support a data-driven transition to a low-carbon economy, increase resilience in the face of a changing climate, improve equity, manage demand, and deliver an excellent customer experience.

Stemming from more than 20 years of experience in wireless standards and smart-grid technologies, Copper’s solution collects data directly from both smart (AMI) and drive-by (AMR) meters. By avoiding the emergent latencies common in even advanced smart meter systems (from the time meter data is collected to when it can be shared and used), Copper's solution provides more timely, better-quality data to utilities and their customers. Additionally, Copper can uniquely act as an interoperability layer that can support multiple meter types through a single secure platform, enabling lower-cost, more agile approaches to new metering infrastructure investments as part of a broader AMx strategy.

To turn data into actionable insights, Copper offers a utility portal that provides a real-time geographical view of consumption and enables utilities to easily message customers, run electric or gas behavioral load management events, or plan for peak loads. It also provides a mobile app to end-use customers to help engage them around their energy or water consumption, offer insights into their usage (such as mid-cycle high bill alerts and leak detection), and provide education around everything from time-varying rate structures to carbon intensity.

Copper currently offers two hardware options: a neighborhood-level detector and a small in-home detector. The neighborhood-level unit wirelessly accesses data from hundreds of existing meters at once and is designed for scaled implementation to support or even obviate new meter deployments. No in-home equipment or Wi-Fi networks are needed (making it particularly relevant to low- and moderate-income customers), and the collected meter data can be made available to customers or utility staff immediately. For targeted deployments or pilot programs—such as measurement and verification of new efficiency measures—utilities can send customers a smart in-home detector that’s smaller than a pack of playing cards and plugs into the wall, immediately unlocking their meter data.

SaaS, per unit

• Technology-neutral platform to drive meter interoperability - As part of a broader AMx strategy, Copper provides an interoperability layer that can securely share data from multiple meter types and manufacturers
• Flexible connectivity - Provides connectivity via Bluetooth, WiFi, and radio frequency to connect to both AMR and AMI infrastructure
• Reduction in data latency - Avoids the hours- to weeks-long latencies between the time meter data is collected and when it can be used and shared that are common to AMI deployments (due to both the networks used and internal processes)
• Faster scaled deployments - Neighborhood-level detectors can be deployed more quickly, and at lower cost, than new scaled smart meter rollouts since each one wirelessly collects data from hundreds of existing meters

• Real-time metering - Enables real-time data collection from existing AMI or AMR infrastructure
• Metering interoperability - Provides a technology-neutral platform that can support meters from multiple manufacturers and enable more incremental, agile, and lower-cost meter deployments and demonstrations
• Combined multi-resource planning - Allows for apples-to-apples comparisons of electric, gas, and/or water consumption data on a single unified platform to support advanced system planning and load forecasting.
• Electrification impact planning - Utilities can see which customers are installing electric vehicle charging equipment, better understand existing heating patterns, and identify daily use patterns to plan for decarbonization efforts and grid improvements
• Behavioral load management - Mobile app delivers alerts to facilitate electric or gas demand response or other load management efforts, and gamifies the customer interaction
• Customer segmentation and targeted marketing - Utilities can better segment and target customers based on actual usage and disaggregated end use data
• Education on new rate structures - Mobile app can help customers understand their use and what that means under time-of-use (TOU) or dymanic rate structures
• Mid-cycle high usage alerts - Customers can see if they're on track to have a high bill while there's still time to manage their consumption
• Support for vulnerable customers - Particularly because the neighborhood-level Copper detector doesn't require in-home Wi-Fi, the mobile app is uniquely suited to engaging income-qualified customers and supporting equity initiatives
• Conservation voltage reduction - For electric utilities, Copper's data can provide a granular look at real-time voltages across the distribution network, bolstering conservation voltage reduction efforts