Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) uses a 2-way communication device that measures and transmits electric and water data. This data provides accurate water and electric usage along with detailed system information such as voltage levels, current, and power factor on the electric side and pressure and leak alerts on the water side. Data would be sent to the PUD through a secure wireless network, where it’s safely and securely stored for customer billing. No customer-identifying information – names or addresses, for example – is stored in the meters or transmitted across the network. Meter readers would no longer need to visit homes and businesses to manually record information every month. Customer billing, which today is done every 27 to 35 days will occur over a more consistent timeframe.

Advanced meters offer important customer benefits over our current meters:

Outage Notifications

Skamania PUD’s current meters do not have the capability to send outage alerts. The new meters will notify staff automatically and instantly when the power goes out, ensuring that crews are dispatched quickly, without waiting for customers to report the outage. Customers will be able to access an outage map showing if their area is affected and anticipated power restoration time.

Energy Usage

The new meters will report usage frequently and reliably, allowing customers to view their hourly usage online, and if they choose, can even receive usage alerts to help avoid high bills.

Waive Deposits

New customers are often required to pay a deposit when opening a new account. The new meters are built to work with prepayment programs. Customers who enroll in the prepayment program will be able to avoid paying a deposit and will not experience any late or disconnect fees.

Account Flexibility

With the new meters, Skamania PUD will be able to offer more flexibility in how and when you pay your bills including prepaid services, allowing you to tailor your account to fit your budget and lifestyle.

No More Estimating

Consistent billing cycles will be used and meter estimates will not be needed (sometimes used when weather or other access issues prevent meter readers from reading meters).

Utilities in Washington State have employed advanced meters for over a decade. The following Washington utilities are just some that have either installed an advanced meter system:

• Avista Corporation
• Benton Public Utility District
• Big Bend Electric Cooperative
• Chelan Public Utility District
• City of Seattle
• City of Tacoma
• Clallam Public Utility District
• Clearwater Power Company
• Columbia Rural Electric Association
• Cowlitz Public Utility District
• Ferry Public Utility District
• Franklin Public Utility District
• Grant Public Utility District
• Grays Harbor Public Utility District
• Inland Power and Light
• Jefferson County Public Utility District
• Klickitat County Public Utility District
• Kootenai Electric Cooperative
• Lakeview Light and Power
• Mason 3 Public Utility District
• Pacific County Public Utility District
• Peninsula Light Company
• Puget Sound Energy
• Okanogan Public Utility District
• Orcas Power and Light
• Seattle City Light
• Tacoma Power
• Tanner Electric Cooperative

Advanced meters are the standard across the country. In 2022, U.S. electric utilities had about 119 million advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installations accounting for over 72% of all customers.

Advanced meters must meet safety requirements and standards spelled out in the National Electric Safety Code (NESC). Public service commissions require independent certification proving that advanced meters are safe and show resistance to heat, fire, voltages, surges, and self-heating. Companies that manufacture advanced meters produce certifiably safe and reliable equipment. Nevertheless, advanced meters should be installed and uninstalled only by trained professionals exercising standard safety precautions.

An in-depth review of the scientific literature by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the small amount of radiofrequency (RF) energy produced by advanced meters is not harmful to human health.

In the United States, the limits for human exposure are those adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC maximum permissible exposures (MPEs) are applicable because the meters communicate over FCC licensed frequencies. In addition to the FCC MPEs, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has published recommendations for safe exposure limits (IEEE, C95.1).

RF emitted by advanced meters is well below the limits set by Federal Communications Commission and it is below levels produced by other common household devices like cell phones, baby monitors, satellite TVs, and microwaves. In fact, you would have to be exposed to the RF from an advanced meter for 375 years to get a dose equivalent to that of one year of 15-minutes-per-day cell phone use.

No credible evidence shows any threat to human health from RF emissions at or below RF exposure limits developed by the FCC. With over 25,000 articles published on the topic over the last 30 years, scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals.

We take your privacy very seriously. No customer-identifying data – such as names and addresses – is stored in the meters or transmitted across the network.  Just like the current meters, the advanced meters will record how much energy and water is being used along with the quality of the energy the PUD delivers. The advanced meters encrypt energy and water use information to ensure privacy and transmit it to the PUD over a wireless network with multiple layers of security. Like today, the data will be used only for billing purposes, operational analysis, and planning.

The PUD offers eligible customers an option to “opt-out” of having an advanced meter. The customer would pay the monthly difference in cost for the PUD to operate and maintain a meter without transmitting capability (opt-out fee). The Advanced Meter Opt-Out Policy can be found here.

A PUD employee or a contractor from Pedal Valve will knock on your door prior to installation of the new meter. If there is no answer at the door, the installer will proceed with installation. Meter exchanges will typically occur between 8 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday and should not take more than 10 minutes. Though there is a brief interruption of electrical service due to the exchange, the PUD aims to make the process as convenient as possible. It’s important that our installers can physically access the meter on your property. To help facilitate installation, please trim any vegetation and remove any obstacles near the current meter on or near your home.

AMI water meters were installed in the Carson and Underwood in summer of 2023. A pilot study of 380 electric meters was successfully conducted at key locations throughout the service area. The installation of the remaining electric meters is planned for spring 2024.

The total cost of the project is $5.56 million dollars . The project would result in a reduction in utility operating costs of over $251,000 per year and utility savings of $128,000 per year– as a public utility, such savings will ultimately benefit ratepayers. Operational savings are gained from work flow changes such as reduced truck rolls to read meters and disconnect and reconnect services. These are dollars that can be spent on value-added services such as vegetation management, line upgrades, etc. Utility savings are those related to replacing old inaccurate meters. The annual project savings will pay for the project cost over a 14 year period. Any future rate increase would be unaffected by the AMI project as it is a rate neutral project, meaning the initial and ongoing project costs would be offset by annual cost savings. The project would be funded out of normal operating budgets. As the PUD realizes financial benefits, those savings will also be used to fund this project.

No. It is expected that through attrition and training in other job-specific skills, both the Meter Readers will be reassigned to other important positions within the PUD.

• World Health Organization Radiation: Electromagnetic Fields
• American Cancer Society – Smart Meters
• Federal Communications Commission Radio Frequency Safety
• U. S. Energy Information Administration Frequently Asked Questions
• U. S. Department of Energy - SmartGrid.gov
• Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative Smart Meter Myths vs. Facts (PDF)
• Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative Consumer Concerns Videos
• Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission Smart Meter Basics (PDF)
• California Council on Science & Technology Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters
• Environmental Defense Fund What Consumers Need to Know About the Smart Grid & Smart Meters (PDF)
• An Evaluation of Radio Frequency Fields Produced by Smart Meters Used by the Benton Public Utility District (PUD) (PDF)
• An Evaluation of Radio Frequency Fields Produced by Smart Meters Used by Portland General Electric (PDF)
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration Review of Published Literature between 2008 and 2018 of Relevance to Radiofrequency Radiation and Cancer