Advanced Metering Infrastructure: Lifeblood for Water Utilities

Abstract

This article discusses advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), a metering system that records customer consumption hourly or more frequently, and provides for daily or more frequent transmittal of measurements over a communication network to a central collection point. The article describes the use of AMI in the energy (electric utilities) industry but focuses on its use in the water industry, demonstrating how the technology is ideal for the water industry challenges of managing growing water demand against shrinking supplies, higher operating costs, and reduced staff. Drivers behind the interest in AMI include: growing demand for systems that help reduce nonrevenue water losses and associated delivery costs, stem hidden water losses, support water conservation programs, manage peak loads, improve the integrity of delivery systems, and plan for future growth; curtailing water consumption during peak‐energy or drought‐induced restricted‐use periods; and, information management for water delivery and use. AMI benefits for the water industry are discussed, along with the five main components of an AMI system