Raleigh, NC - April 12, 2017
(Click to Tweet) – Located in Daviess County, Indiana, Washington is a small city that is poised for growth. An expansion of the heavily traveled I-69 highway has added new connections to the region between Evansville and Indianapolis, improving access to jobs, education and healthcare.
With Sensus AMI technology, WMU delivered improved customer service and enhanced billing accuracy for more than 11,000 residents.
With the promise of commercial and residential growth, the city knew that its existing, aging utility infrastructure would no longer be enough to support the needs of its more than 11,000 residents.
“Our electric and water meters were old and needed replacing,” said Anita Ash, utility office manager at Washington Municipal Utilities (WMU). “We wanted to consolidate our system for reading the meters and billing our customers all onto one platform.”
WMU’s team recognized a need to upgrade its infrastructure and turned to Sensus, a Xylem brand. After visiting a neighboring utility to see their successful electric and water system deployment, WMU determined that the Sensus AMI solution was the right fit.
As part of its AMI solution, WMU deployed the Sensus FlexNet® communication network and Sensus Analytics to securely collect and transmit customer usage data for more accurate and efficient billing. With the FlexNet system, staff can monitor usage and report issues to customers in near real time.
“When a customer calls in and wants to discuss their bill, we can bring it right up and go through their usage,” said Ash. “We give them data, which gives them greater understanding. That’s really important.”
Beyond customer service, WMU keeps finding new benefits to its AMI solution.
“We had three meter readers who no longer have to go out in trucks to read them manually, and can focus on more important tasks,” said Ash. “We can use the system to monitor power and water remotely, which saves time and resources.”
Read the case study to learn more about WMU’s deployment of its Sensus AMI system.
Summary:
- As part of its AMI solution, WMU deployed the Sensus FlexNet communication network and Sensus Analytics to securely collect and transmit customer usage data for more accurate and efficient billing.
- With the FlexNet system, staff can monitor usage and reports issues to customers in near real time.
- The system gives staff the capability to monitor power and water remotely, saving the utility both time and resources.
When a customer calls in and wants to discuss their bill, we can bring it right up and go through their usage. We give them data, which gives them greater understanding. That’s really important.
Anita Ash
Utility Office Manager, Washington Municipal Utilities