Historical Facts About the City of Barrie

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2 Historical Facts About the City of Barrie 1850 Town of Barrie is incorporated, population: Town of Barrie and Village of Allandale amalgamate, population: 6, Population: 12, Incorporation of the City of Barrie, population: 20, Population: 26,700 Barrie s Water is supplied by 14 ground wells For the next 30 years the population growth was estimated at 3330 per year, the population grew to over 100,000 in year Population 135, Barrie is planning on switching over part of the City s water customers to surface water, being supplied by it s new 90 mega liter Surface Water Treatment.

3 The City of Barrie prides itself on not only being Ontario s premier waterfront community, but also delivering great value to the tap. Barrie s Water Operations Branch works diligently to ensure full access to a safe and reliable water supply. Through a network of approximately 600 kilometers of water main. The city s drinking water is monitored and tested based on more than 100 parameters at a frequency and scope set out by the Province. Community safety is at the forefront when it comes to managing the city s water. From consumption to making sure that water is reaching all 42,500 customers and 3,450 fire hydrants in the city. Water production is in excess of 16,000,000 m 3. 5 Year Water Consumption & Water Billing Statistics (Averaged Oct- Dec) Water Consumption-m 3 9,355,767 9,705,308 8,865,677 8, ,322,034 Water Billing $9,503,715 $10,323,337 $9,552,764 $10,382,453 $11,221,368

4 In 2003 the City of Barrie Water Branch started looking at AMR systems. We tested 3 different manufactures of AMR systems. Since 1988 the City of Barrie started switching it s meter population to Rockwell Meters (Sensus). Three different reasons why we went to Rockwell was price and the meters were manufactured in Barrie. By 2003 the majority of the City s meters were Sensus(Rockwell). At the time we elected the Sensus Drive-by system. Also at the time we could see that the technology was changing very quickly, so it was decided to limit the number of installs until we were convinced which way we wanted to go.

5 Overview of AMI/AMR Program. In the City of Barrie started working with Barrie Hydro and The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury to see if there was any changes of a working partnership with Barrie Hydro who was billing water for both Municipalities. Since the Province had mandated Hydro Companies the switch over to Smart Meters by Jan 2011, The City of Barrie started looking a lot more seriously at Smart Metering as well. In June of 2009 the City formed a committee to look at the meter reading and billing practices and see if we were getting the best bang for our buck. The committee was made up of 6 members from different departments. Their mandate was to look at everything and report back within 30 days.

6 FORECASTED TOTAL AMI FOR RESIDENTIAL AND ICI COMBINED **44,500 45,168 45,845 46,533 47,231 47,939 48,658 49,388 50,129 50,881 51,644 This does not include surrounding Municipalities and is based on Barrie s yearly growth rate of 1.5%. ** As compared to status quo.

7 Flex Net is the industry's only solution for utilities that demand unmatched customer service and pinpoint-accurate reads. Only FlexNet delivers Primary-Use licensing by the FCC, which guarantees an uncluttered, crystal clear path for transmissions and that paves the way for an industry-leading two watts of power, making the FlexNet system the only mass-deployed utility system to enjoy the highest level of protection, power and productivity in North America. FlexNet Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution is offered exclusively from Sensus. It empowers electricity, gas, water or combination utilities with a proven means to increase meter reading efficiency, reduce overhead costs and enhance customer service simply, reliably, and with unlimited flexibility.

8 Sensus FlexNet Solution Sensus Radio Read Meter Transceiver Unit (MXU) Model 510R is a non-pit set radio signal device which permits off site meter reading via radio signals. The MXU interfaces with any compatible absolute encoder-equipped utility meter with a Sensus Radio Read interrogator device. The Sensus MXU eliminates a number of meter reading problems such as lockouts, curbside reading estimates, estimated bills and errors associated with manual meter reading methods.

9 Option 1. PowerStream meter reads, bills & collects. 2. Third Party manually reads, bills & collects Customer Local Short Term vs Water Focused Jobs and Long Term Conservation Solution Services Solution No No No Short Term No No No Short Term 3. Third Party manually reads, COB bills & collects. No Some Improvement Yes Short Term 4. COB uses AMI readings, Third Party bills & collects. Yes Some Improvement No Long Term 5. COB uses AMI readings, bills & collects. Yes Yes Yes Long Term

10 Options Total Dollars Savings** 1. PowerStream meter reads, bills & collects. $26.0 Million $0 2. Third Party manually reads, bills & collects. $15.8 Million $10.2 Million 3. Third Party manually reads, COB bills & collects. 4. COB uses AMI readings, third party bills & collects. $13.0 Million $13.0 Million $19.3 Million $6.7 Million 5. COB uses AMI readings, bills & collects. $12.9 Million $13.1 Million Includes capital costs, full amortization within 10 years, operating costs. ** As compared to status quo.

11 Options Total Dollars Savings** 1. PowerStream meter reads, bills & collects. 3. Third Party manually reads, COB bills and collects. 5. COB uses AMI readings, bills & collects. $98 Million $0 $27 Million $71 Million $20 Million $78 Million Includes capital costs, full amortization within 20 years, operating costs. ** As compared to status quo.

12 We can solve spikes in consumption sooner, before customers see bills. Less carbon footprint because vehicles aren t needed on the road to read meters. Water consumption usage will assist consumers in determining a water conservation strategy that would best suit their needs thereby increasing the success of a conservation program. The only way to perform an accurate water balance in the system is with automated metering. The City would have the ability to accurately evaluate the difference between water production and water consumption. Water loss is more accurately determined with automated meter reading, theft of water will be identified whereas it is currently

13 Positioning the City with Smart Metering ahead of potential proposed regulation and manual meter reading will become obsolete. Automated meter system and in-house billing gives us more options for different kinds of rate structures, billing frequencies, time of use, liters, m 3, surcharges and sundry billing. Manual meter reading does not allow for efficient and accurate water system monitoring. Reporting to management and the Province would be more accurate and timely. The entire package better serves our customers. Proposed legislation similar to the requirement for electrical meters, could potentially happen within the next few years.

14 Short Term vs. Long Term Solution Continued We would be ready to meet those new requirements. Manual meter reading is becoming an obsolete way to gather water consumption data. Our recommendations provide staff with the ability to provide good customer service, efficiently and effectively. Reporting to management and the Province will be more accurate, with real time data. We can better serve our customers and the Corporation.

15 This system creates the ability to identify and resolve water leaks sooner with potential savings to our customers estimated at $100,000 per year. AMR is the only way to identify residential backflow incidences, protects public and our water system. Stopped and tampered meters are identified in hours instead of days or months. Customers can access their consumption data online with a dashboard feature.

16 City of Barrie Water AMI/AMR Presentation-Feb 2011 Customer Focused Solution Continued No inconvenience to the customer for access issues, e.g. snow, locked gates or unleashed dogs. When we can resolve leaks sooner, we can reduce the cost to the customer which can range from $200 to $1,200 in potential charges. Identifying backflow incidents can be done by the AMR system which is a critical component of protecting our water. Manual meter reading cannot identify or provide any of these items in less than 45 days.

17 Software and hardware investigated is able to accommodate current requirements and future growth. E-billing, e-payments, customer consumption, online inquiry and advanced reporting would be possible. In-house billing allows for the flexibility with billing options frequency, timing, application of rates, sundry billing. Gives us complete control and ownership of our data.

18 City of Barrie Water AMI/AMR Presentation-Feb 2011 Billing, Collections and Customer Service Continued We can provide better customer service, one stop shop for the customer for less cost. There is billing software on the market that can provide the type of system we need to better serve our customers with features of online access, e-commerce and improved reporting. A new billing system will provide us with the flexibility to make changes, adapt quickly and inexpensively. Our customers will desire to see their water consumption online starting in 2011 as they start to see their electricity consumption, they will want to see water

19 Reduce water meter reading costs Yes. Reduce billing costs Yes. Without compromising services or service levels Yes.

20 AMI solution The City of Barrie issued a RFI (twice) and Sensus was the chosen manufacturer. Some of the factors why Sensus was chosen over others: 1) Ease of installation, 100% of Barrie residential meters are Sensus so there is no need to enter a customers home. This feature also cuts the cost of the project almost in half. 2) Two way communication to and from the MXU s. 3) Licensed frequency (City of Barrie was experiencing many problems with unlicensed frequency interfering with your communications system).

21 AMI solution Fast installation time, Water Operations was given 5 months to complete 42,500 installations which normally would take 2-3 years to complete. Price, Sensus may not have been the cheapest for actual Frequency Integrators, however, the overall system was the City of Barrie s choice. The number of end units installed and systems working throughout North America was

22 This is a portion of the screen that staff and customers would see, monitoring the consumption of a particular water meter. Staff can click on any particular bar representing one day, drilling down to a similar table showing the consumption by hour. Also on the screen that we cannot show here, are sections that alert staff to stopped meters, tampered meters and consumption outside certain parameters.

23 Prompt resolution of issues is very important because there will be a lot of different elements that inter-relate. If one is stopped then it affects all the others. Maintaining a relationship with PowerStream in any format, we are already seeing this since the project was approved(for example, restricted access to screens, adjustments, lien listings). Project Co-ordination there are aspects of this project that create touch points between Finance and Operations (billing software, CityWorks, policies, procedures and legal agreements) we need to pay particular attention to these as the project moves through the different stages.

24 City of Barrie Water AMI/AMR Presentation-Feb2011 Communications Requirements Continued: Effective communications is absolutely critical to our customers. Our intentions are to roll out clear and concise information that is timely and accurate, using every medium we can (website, inserts, city page) throughout the project to all key stakeholders: Council, the Corporation Finance Department Operations

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26 City of Barrie Water AMI/AMR Presentation-Feb 2011 Potential Risks Required to minimize or eliminate some of these risks are: Strong, ongoing support from Executive Management Teams. A clear project plan that helps maintain focus. Use of an Advisory Committee to mitigate potential road blocks or problems. Effective on-going communication between team members and departments. This helps to quickly identify where the project may be delayed, stalled or encounter potential problems. Avoid conflicting priorities other projects currently in place or to come could take away valuable resources. Data integrity more confidence with customer data being

27 Start Up Risk to Avoid Give yourself enough time to get your radio licenses from the Federal Government. We where told 2-6 weeks to obtain in fact it took 4 months. Investigate the programming devices you will be using, you don t have to use a Sensus unit. They are pricey (Budget). Ensure if possible to negotiate an exit agreement with your current contractor. Be prepared for some extensive training for your AMI person. Should you have a contractor doing the installs ensure they are working behind the present meter readers.

28 City of Barrie Water AMI/AMR Presentation-Feb 2011 Start Up Risk to Avoid Ensure that you have sorted out with other departments areas of responsibility. This is a must: Have staff in place and up to speed as much as possible before the project starts.