Empowering Customers with Better Data
Meter upgrades across the city will mean lower maintenance costs and increased services for Holland BPW customers. Electric crews have already begun updating meters in selected areas, and we will continue to roll out the new models one neighborhood at a time for the next couple years.
The new meters are part of a new technology called advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), in which the meters have two-way communication through a more robust collection network. In addition to increased reliability, the meters also provide increased quality and quantity of data, including more frequent reads with specific timestamps. With better data, HBPW can offer a richer information set to help business and residential customers better understand their energy use.
Through the upgrade of our metering system, HBPW is also introducing new customer programs. Residential and business portals are among the most exciting results of the upgrade. The portals provide customers with 24/7 access to their account and their electric usage. Residential customers will have hourly electric usage data available at least every 12 hours. Business customer data can be refined down to 15 minute usage. This means HBPW customers will have the ability to proactively make electric usage decisions and take control of their bills. HBPW customer service staff is gearing up to educate customers on the new features.
The new system will increase the speed and improve the accuracy of reporting customer outages. These improvements will support the customer outage map. The map will give real time information of customer outages and restoration information and can be seen on your computer or smart phone.
These investments into renewing our metering and meter data management infrastructure are consistent with the forward-looking approach we take toward capital improvement projects. We recognize that reliability and quality of services are high priorities for all of our customers, and the advanced metering infrastructure we are installing today will contribute greatly toward continued excellence in our operations for years to come.