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Tutorial There are logical, sequential steps to determine how benefits and tradeoffs of manual, AMR, AMI, or hybrid reading systems affect a specific utility • Right-size water supply and delivery infrastructure to meet peak requirements. These steps have been applied in various utility situations throughout the U.S. with different recommendations for incremental and ultimate implementation. The following outline represents an effective, 10-step approach to create a defensible basis for upgrading meter-reading technology. Utility managers discover that accurate, reliable, customerspecific water use data help reduce human error and potential conflicts with unionized meter readers. Given increased billing accuracy and the ability to check for the source of billing anomalies, staff spends less time investigating bills and leaks, less time processing bill credit adjustments, and more time on revenue-generating outcomes. The greatest reported benefit is from customers having access to their own time-specific use data and comparison with local per-capita or per-account benchmarks or customer-specific water use targets, empowering them to make individual conservation decisions. An additional conservation benefit derives from polling the expanded database to generate more frequent exception reports for customer water use changes and excessive water use, including customer-side leaks. Real-time AMI monitoring is especially valuable for cutting the costs of customer service investigations into theft or leaks. Improved leak auditing and detection identify problems quickly, speeding repairs and reducing associated water and revenue losses. Additionally, there are noise-listening devices that can be placed near customer meters to help diagnose potential service line leakage. Customers respond positively to tips on selfmonitoring and leakage repair, especially when they learn of leakage on their side of the meter. Proactive communication between utility and customer builds confidence and trust, magnified when the utility finds ways to reduce customer water bills. Finally, access to individual customer and customer- class water use comparisons helps target water conservation efforts while prioritizing policies, methods, and devices to achieve the largest water savings at least cost to the utility. 1. Determine/assemble internal utility stakeholders • Utility management, operations, customer service, engineering • Information technology, GIS, finance 2. Educate stakeholders through interactive workshops • AMI/AMR terminology • Hardware/software capabilities • Multiple vendor offerings and costs 3. List short- and long-term functional needs and wants 4. Collaboratively prioritize meter-reading needs and wants 5. Develop a utility-specific dynamic build-out economic business case • Compare functional costs today with AMR and AMI costs • Develop key assumptions and cost information • Assume a 15-year AMI equipment life • Determine present worth, capital, and operating costs 6. Compare functional costs today with costs of AMI, AMR, and hybrid systems How To Determine The Optimum Meter-Reading Strategy Even though advanced meter-reading technology demonstrates multiple advantages over a manual read system, each utility must evaluate its own water resource, service area, and affordability situations to assess costs and benefits. There are logical, sequential steps to determine how benefits and tradeoffs of manual, AMR, AMI, or hybrid reading systems affect a specific utility. wateronline.com 7. Determine what is affordable now and over the planning horizon 8. Develop a financing plan • Current revenues, savings in labor costs • Green project grants and loans (saves energy and greenhouse gas emissions) • Revenue bond funding • Performance-based incentive contracts ■ Water Online The Magazine 15