History of the AMR Program

In 2013, the utility formed a process improvement team to evaluate the benefits of an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system as a short-term solution to discontinued meters previously used as well as a long-term replacement system for reading both water and electric meters. The recommendations align with both Water and Electric's long-term vision and fit within the adopted Capital Improvements Plan and Water Fund Rate Structure. 

After analyzing technical information from vendors and interviewing other utilities that currently use AMR technology, the  recommended short-term solution for reading water meters was an AMR system.

The long-term solution was an Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system that will read both electric and water maters through a centralized data collection system. The AMR system being installed has the ability to be incorporated into an AMI system without replacing water meters, meter registers, or radio units.

There is an up-front cost of approximately $190 per meter for the AMR system. Currently, there are more than 20,000 meters in service in Ames which equates to about $3.8 million. The City's meter readers read around 47,500 water and electric meters every 30 days. 

Click here for the AMR Replacement Program Customer Guide

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