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Automated Meter Reading
What is Automated Meter Reading?
Automated Meter Reading (AMR) is a technology which allows for consistent and accurate collection of information from a natural gas meter. The technology has been available for more than 40 years, and has continued to evolve into the reliable systems that are commercially available today. Collected data is transferred to a centralized database for billing purposes and/or usage analysis.
Readings are captured on a daily basis by an AMR device, a unit mounted on the natural gas meter by a trained installer. The AMR device constantly monitors and registers a customer's natural gas usage. This information is then used to calculate a monthly bill for the customer.
AMR eliminates the need for a meter reader to enter a customer's home or business to manually obtain a natural gas meter read, allowing for enhanced customer convenience and accurate data collection. Over the years, as AMR technology has been refined, a number of local distribution companies (LDC's) throughout the country have converted to AMR use. Laclede Gas has a long history with AMR systems and has been using remote meter reading technologies on a limited basis since the 1960s.
How it works
The AMR system Laclede has chosen to deploy employs radio transmitting devices that are attached to existing Laclede Gas customer meters. Reads from each meter are transmitted to local network receivers that are mounted on poles and buildings and then transferred to Laclede’s customer billing system, resulting in timely and accurate bills based on actual natural gas usage.
Installation phase
In March 2005, Laclede Gas entered into an agreement with Cellnet Technology, Inc., a leading provider of wireless fixed data communication networks for utility companies. Cellnet Technologies, Inc., a company with more than 20 years of experience, currently has more than 13 million AMR devices that transmit daily meter readings for gas, electric and water utility companies across the United States.
During the deployment period, representatives of Cellnet have been installing AMR devices on all natural gas meters for Laclede Gas' customer base (approximately 630,000 customers). Installations take approximately 20 minutes per unit and the installation phase is scheduled to be completed in 2007. Once installed, Laclede Gas will no longer need appointments to access and/or obtain data from meters located inside homes or businesses.
Benefits of AMR
- Enhanced customer convenience – natural gas meter reads are transmitted automatically without a need for a technician to access meters. This is especially important for Laclede, as nearly 240,000 of our meters are located inside a home or business. Plus, with AMR, there is no need for our customers to have to read meters due to inaccessible natural gas meters. Customers no longer need to take time out of their busy days to accommodate Laclede Gas. And AMR also provides our Customer Service representatives with the ability to obtain a meter reading on a "real-time" basis if necessary to answer a customer inquiry.
- Improved billing practices – customer billing is based on actual natural gas usage, not an estimate based on past consumption. Customers no longer are subject to the fluctuations that can result from estimated billing.
- More frequent and accurate measurement – AMR takes frequent and regular readings, allowing for a more efficient monitoring of natural gas usage and billing based on actual consumption. The AMR system offers a 99 percent accuracy rate, which is considerably higher than the typical accuracy rate for manual reads. In addition, diagnostic flags are transmitted with readings to help Laclede Gas monitor the correct operation of each unit.
- No need for service initiation charges – daily reads provided by the AMR system will do away with the need for Laclede Gas to visit customers' homes when service is simply transferred from one customer to another without ever turning off the flow of gas.
- Controlled meter reading costs – the automated technology helps Laclede Gas minimize operational costs, while accurately collecting readings on natural gas usage. Laclede's contract with Cellnet runs through 2020, so meter reading costs are fixed and essentially locked in for that period of time. An accurate reading eliminates the need for a manual read or usage verification. In addition, the 99 percent accuracy rate of the AMR devices minimizes any human error associated with manual meter readings.
Misconceptions About AMR/AMR Devices
- Gas leaks - attaching an AMR device to a natural gas meter does not increase the likelihood of a gas leak. In fact, to date, the installation of an AMR device has served to raise customer safety awareness.
- Interference – AMR devices transmit at a power level of less than one watt. The technology will not interfere with the operation of televisions, radios, stereo equipment, garage door openers, wireless Internet connections, or other electronic devices commonly found in a home or a business.
- Security – customer information is protected at all times. Personal information is not transmitted during the AMR process. The technology only transmits the natural gas meter reading and the meter number for the home/business. Once transmitted, the information is matched to our customer database in a secure setting.
- Meter readers – As of January 2007, Laclede Gas no longer deployed meter readers to manually collect natural gas meter readings. Meter readers employed by Laclede Gas, many of whom were originally hired on a temporary basis, have had the opportunity to apply for other positions within the Company. Indeed, the vast majority were able to secure other positions within the Company.