How are electric meters "automatically" read?

[Stephen Tashiro]

I returned home to find a notice on my front door that says "We have changed your electric meter. This meter change will allow El Paso Electric to implement its new Automated Meter Reading System".

I find that my two old new electric meters have been replaced by two shiny new ones that have digital read-outs. How will the electric company read these automatically? Do they have something like a built-in cell phone inside them?

[Matt Meiser]

Some are implementing a network that uses high frequency signals on the power lines. We've got one that the reader uses a device from his car in the driveway. They aren't common here yet but mine was the power company's solution to a lazy meter reader who kept screwing up our reads because he didn't want go get out of his car to read it.

[Tom Esh]

There are several methods in use:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_metering

Here our electric and water and are both drive-by, but gas is still on a dumb meter.

[Joe Pelonio]

We're in the process of installing some automated water meters on some of the bullrails where ships take on water. Ours simply transmit the reading with a radio signal and the meter reader captures many of them at once as he drives by.

Others transmit automatically to an antenna in the area, relay the reads via radio signal to the utility offices where it's loaded to their website. On those the customer can check their use any time they want 24/7, as can the utility.

The most common, and I'd guess what you have for electric, does not transmit a signal, but requires the reader to aim his hand held device at it to get the reading. Even that will save enough time to get by with a lot less staff and less chance of error.

[Jim O'Dell]

When those started being put in here in the DFW area, a lot of people screamed that their bills went up and the meters must be faulty. Lots of testing was done, electric co says the new ones are fine, the old ones must not have been reading properly. I thought we were safe being in an unincorporated area, but I was wrong. We got both of ours replaced last Spring. If anything, our bills went down. Not sure if they are still "read" by human pointing a scanner at it, or not. Jim.

[Ben Franz]

When we bought our house 5 years ago, our meter was upgraded during a service panel replacement. The electrician asked the lineman from the electric co-op to put in a new meter - no sweat. They carry them in the service truck. Before that, customers were required to read their own meters and call in each month! Talk about a "system" with a few problems built in! I think there were penalties for missed readings and periodic audit readings by the co-op to catch cheats and errors. I'll take automatic reading anytime. Our water co-op is also remote metered.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

They switched ours a few years ago. IIRC....the person just walks through the yard carrying a reader and it reads it via an RF signal.

[Jay Jolliffe]

What is going to happen up here in Maine is the new meters can be read over the electric line itself. They haven't been installed yet.

[Dave Gaul]

Some are implementing a network that uses high frequency signals on the power lines. We've got one that the reader uses a device from his car in the driveway. They aren't common here yet but mine was the power company's solution to a lazy meter reader who kept screwing up our reads because he didn't want go get out of his car to read it.

What Matt is speaking of is call "Power Line Carrier", and is probably the most common. Very simple technology with the infrastracture allready in place to support it!

It could also be radio or cellular to a remote staiton, or a tech can do a "drive-by" to pick up the signals...

[Steve Peterson]

Lots of people in my area are complaining about higher electric rates with the new meters. It is more likely that the old meters were under-charging them because they were less accurate.

Steve

[Jim Rimmer]

When those started being put in here in the DFW area, a lot of people screamed that their bills went up and the meters must be faulty. Lots of testing was done, electric co says the new ones are fine, the old ones must not have been reading properly. I thought we were safe being in an unincorporated area, but I was wrong. We got both of ours replaced last Spring. If anything, our bills went down. Not sure if they are still "read" by human pointing a scanner at it, or not. Jim.
We are GOING TO BE getting these meters over the next few years in the Houston area. The catch is, PUC said it was all right for the elec. co. to charge for the upgrade even before it was installed. So we now have a charge on our bill for the new meter which we don't have. :eek:

[Bryan Morgan]

I had to get one of these because my meter is in the back yard and I have dogs... It wirelessly transmits the data to a reader the guy carries. He can read it from the front yard without having to try and look over the fence or whatever...

[Bryan Morgan]

Lots of people in my area are complaining about higher electric rates with the new meters. It is more likely that the old meters were under-charging them because they were less accurate.

Steve


Mine went down. Since the guy couldn't get to the meter because of my dogs they'd just use an old average from previous readings (at least thats what I was told). Now that they can actually read it our bill has declined.

[glenn bradley]

In my area they are low power RF. An employee has to actually be reasonably close to read them. this seems contradictory as the eventual plan is to install an RF grid that will carry the info across a proprietary network to centralized offices. Maybe the radios are just set low for now(?).

At any rate, the cost is invisible to me (my meter was put in a few days ago) as:

"The $8 million cost of the conversion won't affect customers' bills, Wright said. It will be paid for over several years with the proceeds of previously issued bonds and money set aside for regular meter replacement."

I'm sure I paid for it somehow. Its just not an obvious add-on to my bill ;-)

[greg lindsey]

The Elec Co just installed my new digital one last week, caught the installer at the house and asked him how they read thiers , he said the reader drives down the street and they auto load the info, same as the water co, but not to be suprised if my bills are somewhat higher or lower due to them inaccuracy of the older meters. However it does cost me an additional 3.12 per month for the next 13 years for the replacement.

[Joe Pelonio]

In my area they are low power RF. An employee has to actually be reasonably close to read them. this seems contradictory as the eventual plan is to install an RF grid that will carry the info across a proprietary network to centralized offices. Maybe the radios are just set low for now(?).

;-)
Depends on the system. We are having some problems with heavy steel covers on the meter vaults and stacks of shipping containers in the way, but find that a more powerful end unit does a lot better. This is one of them.

[jackie gates]

Here in Anderson county texas, TXU and oncor read our elec meters by sattelite. Seems to work okay.:)

[Dan Hintz]

Here in Anderson county texas, TXU and oncor read our elec meters by sattelite. Seems to work okay.:)
Very doubtful... the amount of power you'd have to give off of each meter to make it into space from a unidirectional antenna would be scary.

[Ruhi Arslan]

I had my gas meter replaced last week with a "remote reading" one ofter I notified the gas company that I am not going to allow the meter reader guy told me that he was afraid of my dog. My gas meter is in the utility room in the basement, electric meter in the garage. Water is already with the remote reader. Company has the access code to the garage door so reader can come in to read both meters. After he complained that he was afraid of my dog, I told him that I will not allow him to come in to read it and he can do so at his own risk. Called the company (PSEG) to put on the notice that I am not allowing access anymore in case something goes wrong. My dog is the sweetest dog yo can find anyway but didn't want to find myself on the receiving end of a lawsuit. They replaced my meter right away.

[Charlie Reals]

I had my gas meter replaced last week with a "remote reading" one ofter I notified the gas company that I am not going to allow the meter reader guy told me that he was afraid of my dog. My gas meter is in the utility room in the basement, electric meter in the garage. Water is already with the remote reader. Company has the access code to the garage door so reader can come in to read both meters. After he complained that he was afraid of my dog, I told him that I will not allow him to come in to read it and he can do so at his own risk. Called the company (PSEG) to put on the notice that I am not allowing access anymore in case something goes wrong. My dog is the sweetest dog yo can find anyway but didn't want to find myself on the receiving end of a lawsuit. They replaced my meter right away.

You did the correct thing Ruhi. As a longtime utility worker I can assure you your dog might be the sweetest thing on 4 legs to you but the rest of the world doesn't see it that way.
I could fill a book with dog stories, not all of them good.

Years ago I had a lady telling me how wonderfull her dog was and it wouldn't bight me on a bet. All the time it was nipping at my heal every chance it got.
As we were walking to the door it kept it up so I gave a quick lift and drop with my tool box. Knocked that dog silly. It cost my company but after that the long standing rule was enforced. Put your dog up or call back when you can.
Remote reading will at least stop a lot of those kind of problems.
JM2c