1. Presented by :
Timothy R. Crabb, P.E.
May 22, 2014
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

2. DEFINITIONS
SMART METER: A meter that records consumption in
intervals of an hour or less and communicates that
information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring
and billing purposes.
AMR: Automatic Meter Reading (1980’s)
AMI: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (2005)
AMS: Advanced Metering System (2008)

4. MDMS and Utility Wide Area Network
•This area is defined by what the system is required to do.
•Functionality defines metering requirements.
•Can be owned or hosted.
•Additional FTE’s might be required.

5. Communications Network and Metering
•Several types of communication systems.
•Communicate with meters and possibly other devices.
•System can be owned or leased.
•Require additional FTE’s for operating and maintaining system.
•Meter spec’s need to meet data and communication needs.

6. Metering and HAN (Home Area Network)
•Most AMI meters have HAN gateway.
•Customer and Utility control of load requires additional equipment
•Market has yet to determine if control will be through Utility or Internet
•Example: Google bought out Nest for $3.2 Billion

7. AMI ADVANTAGES
Web portal information for customer on usage
OMS outage information for storms and outages
Determining of outage is on customer side of meter
Access to study data (15 minute interval data)
HAN capabilities (extra cost)
Load reduction capabilities (extra cost)
Possible “time of use rates” in the future
Meter tampering/damage information
Information to determine customer water leaks
Eliminates issues on access to meters for reading
Billing cycles that match customer needs
Possibility of “pre-pay” rate for customers
Automatic disconnects and reconnects
Delinquent accounts
Students

8. AMI “CHALLENGES”
Some customers still have privacy concerns
Customer benefit will vary greatly
Cyber Security
Life Expectancy (technology)
Additional technical FTE’s to maintain system
Quantity of Data
Costs

9. COST
IOU’s have put charges in place to take care of cost (Electric only)
Surcharge of $2.21 to $3.40 per month
Charges will be in place for next 11 years
Estimated cost for Electric would be about $8.5M to $9.5M
($210 to $240/meter)
Estimated cost for Water would be about $6.5M to $7.5M
(32K meters)
Life expectancy on Electric meters is 8 to 15 years
Life expectancy on Water meters is 15 to 20 years

10. UTILITIES RECOMMENDATION
Continue to monitor the technology
advances of AMI systems. Utilize the City’s
budget process to set the priorities for AMI
and other proposed capital projects.