Painesville's New AMI System Q&As
Painesville City is investing in an electric system to bring more reliable customer service to residents through AMI.
What is the AMI System?
AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Advanced meters are digital or ‘smart’ meters that replace older analog electric meters used to record electrical usage. Rather than relying on a meter reader (utility personnel) to manually read electric meters monthly at properties, digital meters record information automatically (typically every fifteen minutes), sending readings back to the AMI system six times per day.
What are the benefits of an AMI System?
- Enhances customer service
- Ability to self-report power outages, so customers no longer need to manually call
- Reduces the time of outages by pinpointing the areas affected
- Creates more reliable billing by reducing misreads and errors
- Allows customers to view their electric consumption daily to better understand usage
- Allows electric disconnects, connects and account transfers to be done remotely
- Reduces loss of electricity and theft
- Reduces electric meter inaccuracy
- Reduces meter tampering greatly, if not eliminating issue
- Identifies unusual usage patterns
- Flags electric meters that are reading zero consumption
- Provides additional information to the electric operating system
- Helps manage the electric distribution grid
- Identifies transformer loading and sizing issues
- Reduces response time by early identification of power outages
- Is capable of net metering
How do AMI meters work?
AMI meters transmit readings remotely over a private, secure wireless network, similar to a cell phone network. An AMI meter is approximately the same size as previous mechanical meters and has an LCD digital display showing your usage. There is no difference in how to read the meter.
How will the AMI System impact my electric bill?
Energy use and charges are not affected by the type of meter a resident has. The AMI meters show very high success in read accuracy and response time.