A community survey conducted during the development of the City's Strategic Plan showed that residents wanted the City to make investing in infrastructure a priority. After careful consideration, analysis, and planning, the City approved the upgrade to AMI. City leaders and staff recognized several benefits of AMI, including reduced cost associated with the meter reading process, real-time data and usage insights for customers, improved response to service disruptions, and more efficient communication with customers during service outages.

No, you will not need to pay for your new meter. The City of Albemarle has budgeted this upgrade as part of the City’s Strategic Plan. Having a new meter will not change your utility rate.

Yes. If you are a water or electric customer of the City of Albemarle, your old meters will be replaced with new ones on-site by technicians. The technicians will not need to enter your home or business. They will not ask you for any payment. All technicians will have successfully completed a background check. When the meter is changed, you will experience a pause in service of about 30 seconds.

The AMI system uses wireless and radio signals to communicate your water and electricity usage with the City. A small radio device is connected to the electric and water meters. It records daily readings that show how much electricity or water is used each hour and sends that information to a collector. These data transmissions take only a few milliseconds. Collectors will be installed on utility poles throughout the service area. They gather all the meter readings and send them in batches to software that City utility staff can access.

The new meters use wireless radio frequencies, like wireless internet and cable TV, to send and receive information. The meters are regulated to meet all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) safety standards. No personal or identifying information is captured or transmitted by the meter.

Yes, the meter manufacturer, Itron, conducts testing. Itron metering products are tested to validate that each meter meets requirements.

Electric customers are unlikely to see any change in their bill, because the electric meters currently in use are digital. Water customers may see a slight increase due to improved accuracy of the meters. Currently, many water customers have mechanical meters, which may become less accurate over time. The new meters are highly accurate and will record customer usage more precisely than the replaced meters. New meters may register lower water flows that your older meter might not have been able to capture.

The benefits of improved and more accurate usage information to the utility and customers will reduce wasted water through the enhanced system capability to send alerts and notifications such as leak detection.

Tantalus, an advanced metering consulting firm that specializes in advanced metering technologies, is managing the project for the City. Tantalus will be responsible for overall management of the project, along with the manufacturer, Itron, and the installation subcontractor, NextGen. Technicians working on the project will have successfully completed a background check. Technicians will not need to enter your residence. Technicians will not ask you for any money.

According to several reputable organizations, including the World Health Organization and Utilities Telecom Council, there is no demonstrated cause and effect relationship between low levels of radio frequency exposure and adverse human health effects. Click here to learn more information about radio frequency.