District's Access Problems Spur Move to AMR

June 1, 2000
Like many northern utilities, the Water Supply Board in the City of Providence, R.I., was having difficulty reading water meters with regularity and accuracy. The rate of estimated reads was high, resulting in high levels of customer complaints and many hours of staff time to resolve. The board is addressing the problem by implementing an automated meter reading (AMR) system.

Katherine McHale

Like many northern utilities, the Water Supply Board in the City of Providence, R.I., was having difficulty reading water meters with regularity and accuracy. The rate of estimated reads was high, resulting in high levels of customer complaints and many hours of staff time to resolve. The board is addressing the problem by implementing an automated meter reading (AMR) system.

The Water Supply Board in the city of Providence serves the city and 15 other municipalities in Rhode Island, providing drinking water to more than 60 percent of the state's population - 66 million gallons every day.

According to Richard O. Rafanovic, P.E., MBA, General Manager and Chief Engineer for the Water Supply Board, the reason Providence decided to implement an AMR system is simple.

"The main issue is that we want to perform accurate, timely meter reading and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our meter system," he said.

Providence's population is largely urban and entry to the premises of the more than 75,000 metered water customers was not always possible. Double income families mean that often no one is home during the day. Additionally, Providence has a large population of older citizens who are hesitant for security reasons to allow anyone they don't know - including a meter reader - into their homes. Another problem was that the existing meters within the system were old and increasingly subject to damage.

"We have been exploring the possibility of an AMR system for a number of years," said Rafanovic. "We've looked carefully at all the options."

After two years of formal evaluation and study by a specially formed Meter Panel, Providence Water selected a mobile AMR system from Itron. "We were looking for the most flexible system - one that could accommodate our existing meters and the new Badger meters we selected," said Providence Water engineer Ricky Caruolo, a member of the Meter Panel.

The company has been billing quarterly and at least for the short term will continue to do so. Approximately eight years ago, Providence Water billed each customer annually - half of its customer base every six months.

"This resulted in a big slug of bills twice a year, with a big drain on our employees," said Rafanovic, explaining that they then converted to cycle billing, sending invoices to a certain number of customers per day and billing every customer quarterly. "This helped, but we still had the problem of access to meters, resulting in a large number of estimated bills."

When the AMR system is completely implemented, a single mobile van will be able to read all the system's meters to provide the necessary data for quarterly billing. The project is in the initial stage, with a planned 3-5 year implementation schedule.

In addition to the ability to gain actual meter reading data without entering the customer's home, Rafanovic is looking forward to the ability to monitor fluctuations in usage and perform special needs analysis as an aid to both customers and the water utility.

Providence Water has long been unionized and negotiating with the union was an important part of planning the AMR system.

"We began training our people early," said Rafanovic, "and have negotiated the necessary conditions with our labor force to make the system work for all of us."

Certain job classifications had to be renegotiated, with a new classification - meter reader technician - being created to take the place of some of the traditional meter readers and meter mechanics. A transition schedule has been created that will see the majority of the current meter readers and mechanics participating in the installation process, then slowly converting their jobs to maintenance and repair.

In the end, it was the customer service advantages offered by AMR systems that was key. Providence has one of the lowest water rates in the nation among comparable systems and is committed to keeping rates low, while improving customer service.

About the Author

Katherine McHale is a writer and public relations consultant based in Bethlehem, PA. She frequently writes on utility and techology issues.

Sponsored Recommendations

ArmorBlock 5000: Boost Automation Efficiency

April 25, 2024
Discover the transformative benefits of leveraging a scalable On-Machine I/O to improve flexibility, enhance reliability and streamline operations.

Rising Cyber Threats and the Impact on Risk and Resiliency Operations

April 25, 2024
The world of manufacturing is changing, and Generative AI is one of the many change agents. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report takes a deep dive into how Generative ...

State of Smart Manufacturing Report Series

April 25, 2024
The world of manufacturing is changing, and Generative AI is one of the many change agents. The 2024 State of Smart Manufacturing Report takes a deep dive into how Generative ...

SmartSights WIN-911 Alarm Notification Software Enables Faster Response

March 15, 2024
Alarm notification software enables faster response for customers, keeping production on track