The State College Borough Water Authority is proud to announce that we are moving in a new direction in water meter reading. It’s called FLEX NET AUTOMATED INFRASTRUCTURE (AMI).
In the past a meter reader would walk up to every home or business and write down the reading on a card. This process would take 3-4 weeks to complete.
From there we moved to a Touch Read System. With this system we would place a meter reading gun on a little black pad located on the outside of the builidng. This would activate the meter, collect the data and store it in a hand held computer. This process now took just 5-7 days.
We are currently using what is called a drive by system. We have a portable computer in the tuck which sends out a signal to the transmitter that is located on the meter. This transmitter sends the reading back to the computer. The information is downloaded from the hand held computer into our billing system. This takes approximately 3-4 days to complete.
[[{"fid":"330","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Old Meter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Old Meter","external_url":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Old Meter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Old Meter","external_url":""}},"attributes":{"alt":"Old Meter","title":"Old Meter","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"1"}}]]
[[{"fid":"331","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"New Meter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"New Meter","external_url":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"New Meter","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"New Meter","external_url":""}},"attributes":{"alt":"New Meter","title":"New Meter","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"2"}}]]
[[{"fid":"332","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Sensus Drive By","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Sensus Drive By","external_url":""},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"default","alignment":"center","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Sensus Drive By","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Sensus Drive By","external_url":""}},"attributes":{"alt":"Sensus Drive By","title":"Sensus Drive By","class":"media-element file-default media-wysiwyg-align-center","data-delta":"3"}}]]
Now we are ready to make the next step in water meter reading.
How does (AMI) work?
We will be installing radio towers on several of our water tanks which will collect the readings daily from the water meters sending them to our home office. In additon to the meter reading this system is also capable of helping to monitor for leaks which will allow us to notify customers earlier of a possible leak. We will need to replace your water meter so the transmitter will communicate with the Flexnet system. This will take about 15 minutes to complete.
What do we need from you the customer?
We will need to set up an appointment to come out and change your current meter with a new one. For a residential meter this will take about 15 minutes to complete. Larger meters may take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to replace. We will be mailing out letters asking for you to contact us to schedule an appointment.
If you would like to schedule an appointment now, you can call us between the hours of 8am-4:30pm at 814-238-6766 and schedule a day and time that works best for you.