LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 26, 2014) – Columbia Gas of Kentucky is investing in new technology to improve the quality of the company’s meter reading process by installing radio-based Automated Meter Reading (AMR) devices across its 30-county service region.
Starting this month and continuing throughout the year, Columbia Gas of Kentucky will be installing approximately 120,000 AMR devices to all customer residential and commercial meters. Postcards will be mailed to customers approximately two to four weeks ahead of installation at their location. More than 22,000 customers have already had AMR devices successfully installed.
“The installation process takes about 20 minutes or less and, in most cases, does not require the technician to enter the home or business,” said Herbert A. Miller Jr., president of Columbia Gas of Kentucky .
The installations will be performed by either Columbia Gas of Kentucky employees or employees of the company’s contractor, TruCheck. Employees from both companies carry photo identification, wear uniforms and drive marked vehicles.
The AMR devices that Columbia Gas will deploy are not “smart (meter) technologies” as used in the electric utility industry. The device is a simple digital reading of the mechanical meter register. Only the customer’s meter reading data is communicated between the in-vehicle collection devices and the AMR device. The AMR device is powered by its own long-term battery that does not draw any current from any customer’s electrical system.
“AMR devices will help provide a higher level of customer service through more accurate reading and billing, and reduce the risk of injury for meter readers,” Miller said.
To learn more about AMR devices and installation, visit ColumbiaGasKy.com/AMR.
Add Comment