Juice STS Prepayment
STS prepayment uses a numeric token to exchange information from the vending system to the meter. Customers purchase credit at any vending location designated by the utility and receive a numeric code to enter into a keypad connected to the meter installed at thier home.
Advantages of STS Prepayment
Disadvantages as compared to AMI
- Customers manage their own accounts, no meters to read and bill
- Simple and scalable, no communication infrastructure to build and maintain
- STS is an open, international standard with over 100 participating vendors and deployed in 84 countries
- Numeric tokens allow for purchasing via SMS, mobile app, online
- Low-cost relative to AMI
Disadvantages as compared to AMI
- The utility has no control over when a customer's meter will disconnect
- It's more difficult to detect bypassing and tampering than with AMI
- Does not support TOU and highly structured tariffs