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2 We are here only to share our experiences. No recommendations

3 Manual Reading -Employees physically visit each meter to acquire readings AMR or Automated Meter Reading- Meters can be read by touch read ( physical visit) or by mobile collectors ( vehicle drive by) AMI or Advanced Metering Infrastructure The use of fixed networks and smart meters to collect and analyze meter readings advanced technology

4 Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority Located 35 miles east of Atlanta along I-20 22,065 metered connections Customer base more than doubled in 10 year period ( ) 19,859 residential customers 75% of residents leave the county to work 2,206 commercial customers- majority small businesses

5 Dawning of a New Age at NCWSA Touch Read Meters Began self installation of touch read meters in 1999 Touch read conversion project unfinished! ( 3225 meters never converted during 8 year project)

6 AMR Debate Serious debate began in 2005 on moving to mobile collection of meter reads. Cost- Initial investigation revealed a wide range of cost. Just in the meters! System- wide replacement all at once or selfinstall Personnel redeployment Reliable technology?? Savings????? Monies / Labor Hours

7 NCWSA AMR Project 2006 Decision was made to perform a system wide conversion to mobile AMR. Project budget set at $3.5 million Project required that a licensed contractor would partner with a meter vendor and be responsible for the system wide conversion of the system

8 NCWSA AMR Project Advertised bids in spring of 2007 Received 4 qualified bids Only one was within projected budget amount Contractor/ Vendor partnership was misunderstood by bidders

9 NCWSA AMR Project Scope Replacement of 5,000 existing water meters ( 5/8 ) Procurement of all necessary permits ( DOT, etc.) Upgrade 16,069 existing meters from touch read to radio read capability Implementation of all software, hardware, training for offices and vehicles to radio read Replacement of all 21,069 meter lids with new lid Furnish 2,448 radio read meters for new customers

10 NCWSA AMR Project Scope & Schedule Project length was set at 18 months Meter portion of the project was completed in 9 months Software install and training was additional 2 months Clean-up and restoration to customers original condition

11 Cost Savings Staffing Cost/Benefit Meter reading - reduce 7 FTE s and eliminate 3 vehicles $157,000/yr staffing cost $17,200/yr vehicle savings cost Backflow cartridge replacement $17 per meter

12 Intangible Benefits Staff Morale/Issues Riding vs. walking Use of technology attracts better employees Reduces risk exposure fewer miles driven, less walking and potential for accidents Flexibility for cycle reading fewer reading days weather events, holidays, etc.

13 AMR Project takeaways Timing was right economy was still up Contractor ( system conversion) install the right choice Liability of total project on the contractor/vendor produced favorable results Every meter touched and evaluated.

14 AMR Project takeaways Touch read splice to ERT not the best solution Plastic lids not as durable as replaced cast lids Maintenance Agreements ( depended on contractor/vendor to understand -mistake) Mobile Collector Calibration ( expensive and vague)

15 Clayton County Water Authority 82,044 metered connections 76,544 residential 5,500 commercial/other Installed 10,000 AMR units in 1998 as pilot project High rate of failure Improved technology Decided it wasn t cost effective to replace all at that time but required new meters to be AMR Approximately 14,000 meters were AMR in 2008

16 CCWA Experience Reevaluated 3 years ago and decided to implement 100% AMR combined with meter and residential backflow cartridge replacement program At this time CCWA did not routinely replace residential meters, only those that failed Replace any meter 10 years or older Negotiated new meter and AMR technology and cost 15% cost reduction Keep existing AMR but upgrade transmitter Two AMR suppliers - insure competitive pricing

17 Cost to Convert Material cost meter & transmitter $6.9 million (50,000 meters) Contract Labor - $45 x 50,000 $2.2 million Large Meters - $0.9 million Total Estimate - $10 million CCWA budgeted $2.5 million/year Actual cost reduced significantly by using CCWA labor TOTAL expected to be $7.5 million

18 Cost Savings Staffing Cost/Benefit Meter reading - reduce 5 FTE s and eliminate 4 vehicles $169,000/yr staffing cost $20,000/yr vehicle savings cost Rereads $20,200/yr staff and vehicle savings Backflow cartridge replacement $10 meter

19 Revenue generation Combining AMR with meter change out produced increased revenues Average meter accuracy of replaced meters 91.7% $1,335,000 potential increase in revenue per year

20 Cost/Benefit Cost of Meter/AMR conversion $7,500,000 Cost Reduction $500,000 savings by combining with backflow cartridge change out $210,000 annual operating cost savings Increased revenue $1,335,000 per year Payback = 4.5 years Intangible benefits

21 Intangible Benefits Leak Detection decrease in unaccounted for water AMR provided ability to detect leaks on customer side Initially found 4% of residential customers had leaks mostly small toilet leaks This metric is gradually declining Customer appreciation for leak notification Combined with customer education, provided with low flow plumbing kits

22 Intangible Benefits Staff Morale/Issues Riding vs. walking Use of technology attracts better employees Reduces risk exposure fewer miles driven, less walking and potential for accidents Flexibility for cycle reading fewer reading days weather events, holidays, etc.

23 Implementation Issues Data accuracy during conversion Meter serial numbers, out readings on old and in readings on new meter, correct register Improper installation Contractor vs. in-house staff Customer issues flushing, leaks

24 What Does the Future Hold? AMI More expensive but more potential benefits Even lower staffing needs Ability to provide customer online, dynamic water use info Ability to remotely turn on and off meter Demand management Quick identification of leaks