Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) uses a two-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 have either installed an advanced meter system or are in the process of doing so:  

• 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 & Light
• Kootenai Electric Cooperative
• Lakeview Light & Power
• Mason 3 Public Utility District
• Pacific County Public Utility District
• Peninsula Light Company
• Puget Sound Energy
• Okanogan Public Utility District
• Orcas Power & Light
• Seattle City Light
• Tacoma Power
• Tanner Electric Cooperative

Advanced meters are becoming the standard across the country. In 2020, U.S. electric utilities had about 107 million advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installations accounting for over 70% 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. Unless you install a home energy management system, advanced meters cannot tell whether the energy used is from your oven, air conditioner, or hairdryer. Just like the current meters, the advanced meters will simply collect how much energy and water is being used. The advanced meters encrypt energy and water use information to ensure privacy and would 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 will offer our 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 details of the opt-out policy are in development.

The PUD conducted testing of 74 randomly selected water meters in the Carson and Underwood water systems to evaluate the existing meter accuracy. All customers that were part of the meter testing project were notified prior to the meter change. The old water meter was sent to a lab for bench testing and replaced with a new electromagnetic flow meter. The new water meters are compatible with an advanced metering system; however, no radio module was installed in the meter to allow for radio frequency (RF) communication. The weighted average accuracy of the old meters, based on measurements at minimum flow, intermediate flow, and maximum flow, found that the meters underreport water usage by 9.1%.

The PUD commissioners approved the AMI project on June 1, 2021 following extensive research and public outreach. A contract for the engineering and construction of the AMI project was issued on November 16, 2021. The project is currently undergoing permitting and final design with installation of meters planned for 2023.

The installation of meters and communication facilities is expected to be completed in 2023. Customers will receive more information on what to expect as the design and permitting is finalized.

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 permanent and temporary Meter Readers will be reassigned to other important positions within the PUD.

Staff is always on the lookout for additional state and federal grant funding that may be available in the future to help offset costs.

• 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