AMI stand for Advanced Metering Infrastructure.  It refers to metering systems that measure and collect energy usage for each customer and seamlessly transmits that information back to the utility.

With AMI, every utility customer meter will be able to reliably measure electricity use in your home or business. It will automatically send a brief, private, encrypted digital message to the data collection network using a radio signal – much like a cell phone does now when you text messages. All messages will be transmitted to the Florence Electricity Department, where the information is processed.

The Florence Electricity Department is replacing its existing antiquated metering infrastructure with these new meters to make sure all customers are billed accurately.

The new system will include improved meter reading technology that will save labor costs, time, prevent recording errors, minimize wear and tear on vehicles, and minimize the need for city employees to go on the private property of our customers as frequently as they currently are now.

However, we will still need access to our customers’ property to make periodic site inspections at all meter locations to ensure safety and perform maintenance when required.

To ensure our commitment to our day-to-day business of providing electric service to our customers, the Florence Electricity Department is partnering with Allegiant Utility Services on the installation of the advanced meters. Allegiant is a well-respected and trusted partner in the Utility Services field with many years of experience in performing meter exchanges. Their employees have gone through extensive background checks, and they will be wearing uniforms identifying who they are along with badges approved by the Florence Electricity Department. Their vehicles will have identification decals stating that they are a contractor for the Florence Electricity Department.

The first batch of advanced meter installations will take place beginning in August 2024. The installers will be working Monday through Friday 7:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. and Saturdays from 9 A.M.-3 P.M. FED and our partner, Allegiant, will continue the exchanges until all meters have been replaced.  This effort is expected to be completed by 2026.

No, you do not have to be present for the installation. Since the meter is outside your home you do not need to be present while the upgrade is carried out.

The installation takes only minutes. An installer will knock on your door to let you know the advanced meter is about to be installed. There will be a brief power interruption as the new meter is installed and the installer will confirm that the new meter is working properly. The installer will have a photographic record of each installation step, including a record of the last meter reading and as found condition.

Since the meter is usually outside of your home, you do not have to be present for the installation. If no one is home, the meter installer will proceed with the installation and will leave a door hanger to let you know the change out has occurred. However, if for some reason the meter exchange cannot be accomplished without your presence.  The technician will leave a door hanger requesting the customer to call and make an appointment to facilitate the meter installation. Florence Electricity Department appreciates our customer’s cooperation in this.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure stores and transmits hourly usage data that Florence will have and the customer will be able to see on the Florence Utility website. You will be able to see much more information on your usage patterns enabling you to save energy and reduce your bill. You will be able to better understand why your bill may be higher one month and lower the next.

This technology will enable Florence Electricity to be notified of a power outage and start the response to the outage much quicker (more quickly). Customers are still encouraged to call and report any outage they have. This technology will also allow us to spot certain conditions, such as transformer overloading. Tools like this will allow us to improve our system reliability and efficiency.

Cyber-security is very important to Florence Electricity and to the utility industry as a whole. We have extensive experience maintaining cyber security for information systems and protecting our electric grid. While advanced meters have added a new component to our system; the meters, communication, and information management are subject to the same Department of Energy security standards that keep the electric grid secure. None of our customer’s personal data is stored on the advanced meter or transmitted over the network. The data from the meter is securely encrypted when transmitted over the network.

Yes, the majority of our advanced meters can be connected and disconnected right from our office, saving the expense of sending an employee to the location as well as protecting the safety of our employees and customers.

The technology in the Landis+Gyr Gridstream meters use radio signals to transmit meter data and will not negatively affect health. In fact, overall health will be improved by replacing vehicles and manual visits to your home with environmentally clean radio communication. The wireless portion of the

system will be operated according to Federal Communications Commission rules and will not interfere with other radio frequencies in the area. The transmitters use one-quarter of the power of a cellphone transmission. In fact, exposure to radio waves from advanced meters is tiny compared to cellphone transmissions and other electronics within a typical home. Total transmission time is typically less than 30 seconds per day.

No, you can expect the same high-quality utilities you have been getting from the City of Florence. The technology will enable the electric system to be notified of a power outage and start the response to the outage much quicker. On top of that, it will allow our team to spot certain conditions, such as transformer overloading, prior to it causing an outage. The water department will be notified of leaks much sooner, so they can address the problem as soon as possible. The same goes for the Gas department, If a leak is determined, they will be notified immediately and can take care of potentially dangerous situations much sooner.