FAQ Topic: New Water Meter FAQs

Do I Have to Be Home for The Meter Replacement Work?

No. Since the water meters are located outside of the home in the City right-of-way, you will not need to be home for the replacement work; however, if your water meter happens to be accessed from your back yard, we can make arrangements to schedule this work if needed. A door hanger will be placed … Continued

Can I Access Daily Readings Online?

The City plans to develop an application for your smartphone or computer that will provide real-time data to the customer about their water usage. When this is developed, water customers will have the ability to access their daily water consumption online in one-hour increments. The City intends to do a public awareness notice and publish … Continued

Do I have to pay for my new meter?

No, the City pays for the costs of the meters and their installation through existing utility fees. The City has prepared for the cost of this project as part of its annual capital improvement planning process. This project does not have any impacts to the existing water and sewer rates for the City.

Why Is the Water Meter Being Replaced?

To upgrade the meter to one capable of communicating with the AMI equipment, and as an extension of an existing program to replace aging meters after they have reached the end of their life cycle. With the introduction of newer technology, the existing meters are not able to communicate using the AMI technology. The newer … Continued

How Does AMI Benefit Customers?

• Improved customer service by increasing accuracy and frequency of meter readings. • Minimized need to access meters at the property. • Allows us to detect possible leaks daily and alert the customer immediately which can potentially save the customer from a high bill by having a leak go undetected for a month like the … Continued

Why Is the City Undertaking This Effort?

Advanced meter systems are quickly becoming the standard for utilities around the country. These new devices allow for more accurate and faster collection of water usage readings than the current manual method and improve safety conditions for City staff. Currently, the meter readers must open every meter box to obtain a reading from the meter. … Continued

How Does AMI Work?

The City of Lowell has chosen a fixed based network that provides two-way communication from the meter box to strategically located Base Stations. The City is replacing water meters throughout Lowell with new meters equipped with a meter transceiver. The meter transceiver is used to collect and transmit meter reading data, unique identification numbers, operating … Continued

What Is AMI?

AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. It is a method of using communication technology to read meters remotely without having to access the meter located in meter boxes in the ground.

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