STRAIGHT TALK FROM KPUD, part 5 in a series
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Part 5 of a series by Jim Smith and Rodger Nichols
What is AMI and what does it mean to me?
Last week we presented our five-point plan to deal with rising electrical demand sending costs higher.
This week, a closer look at a key part of that plan, AMI. That stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
Simply put, it means Klickitat PUD will be installing new meters throughout our service area.
Here’s the background: KPUD is one of the last utilities to require customers to read their own meters. In fact, more than half of the meters in our system are read by rural customers.
This comes with its own set of problems. Life is busy, and sometimes it’s easy to forget. When that happens, KPUD has to estimate your usage, based on similar months in previous years.
But estimates are just that. They will either be too high or too low. And if you forget for a couple months in a row, you might either have paid too much, or have a large payment to catch up.
And if you don’t have to read your own meter, that means a stranger has to come on your property to do so.
Advanced meters will put an end to both problems. After they are installed in your home or business, you won’t have to read them or have someone come on your property to do so.
The new meters actually are empowering to our customers. The current meters only keep a running record of how much power you have been using since the last reading.
The new meters will give you data about your electric use, and you can use that to make choices about when you run heavy power-consuming appliances like dishwashers or washing machines. Doing so at night when the demand is low will save you money, because it means KPUD won’t have to buy as much electricity during expensive daytime hours.
To be clear, the only thing these advanced meters record is electrical usage. They can’t identify what the power is being used for, and they can’t connect with any devices that may be inside the home.
And you will have access to the same information as the PUD. If you are away from home, you can set the system to notify you if there is an outage, or if your usage is higher than a limit you can set. This is very helpful to snowbirds, landlords and working families.
Next week: more on AMI and how it benefits you.
