1. What is AMI?
2. How does AMI work?
3. What does the new AMI meter look like?
4. Who is eligible to receive AMI service?
5. Can I request to have AMI installed on my meter if I am not a part of the early phase of the planned project?
6. How will this system benefit me, the customer?
7. Who will install AMI and how will I be able to identify them?
8. How will I know when I am scheduled to have my meter equipped with AMI technology?
9. Will I need to be at home or at my business when you install the AMI device?
10. Is there anything i should de before the AMI device is installed at my property?
11. What happens if my meter is not accessible?
12. I would like to be home when the AMI device is installed. Will your installers make an appointment with me?
13. How will I know if my meter has been exchanged?
14. A door hanger was left asking me to call and schedule an appointment. Why do I need to do that?
15. How long will the meter exchange take?
16. Will my electric service be interrupted during the meter exchange?
17. I have a generator that starts automatically when the power is off. What will happen during the meter
exchange?
18. Will I have to pay a fee to receive my new AMI meter?
19. Will AMI service interfere with my radio, telephone, computer, television, phones, wireless internet access, invisible fence or other equipment?
20. How long before my meter is read by the AMI rather than by the meter reader?
21. Will this meter exchange affect my automatic Bank Draft or Budget Billing plan arrangements?
22. Will I still see meter readers in my area occasionally?
23. Will my new meter be accurate?
24. Will the timing change from when I am billed?
25. When will I receive my first bill based on the new AMI technology?
26. Is my account information secure?
27. Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
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1. Q. What is AMI?
A. AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. It is a proven technology that
enables Sawnee EMC (SEMC) to perform many new cost saving
activities, including accurately reading electric meters
remotely, without having to physically visit the meters.
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2.
Q. How does AMI work?
A. As a customer uses electricity, an electronic module located inside the meter
records the usage. This module transmits the usage data through
a wireless communication network comprised of towers, antennas,
and other equipment, then on to our office in Cumming, Georgia
to be integrated into our computer systems.
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3.
Q. What does the new AMI meter look like?
A. The meter’s exterior appearance is similar to a typical watt-hour meter. The
only difference is that an AMI module is installed inside the
meter. At all locations, we are installing a new digital meter
and where they exist, replacing our older mechanical “dial”
meters.
Click here
to see pictures of an AMI meter.
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4.
Q. Who is eligible to receive AMI service?
A. Over the next three (3) years, all of SEMC accounts will
receive these devices. SEMC staff have identified which areas
will receive the modules throughout the deployment schedule,
begining with Forsyth and Dawson Counties. A detailed
plan of deployment has been developed.
Click here and
enter your account number to see when the meters in your area
are scheduled to be changed out.
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5.
Q. Can I request to have AMI installed on my meter if
I am not a part of the early phase of the planned
project?
A. Yes. Contact us and we will have your meter exchanged.
No problem. It's that simple!
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6.
Q. How will this system benefit me, the customer?
A. AMI should eliminate estimated meter readings, provide tangible benefits and aid in outage
notification and service restoration. You will also have
the ability to view daily energy usage and other valuable
information to better assist you in managing and evaluating your
monthly electric usage.
Click here to see this data.
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7.
Q. Who will install AMI and how will I be able to
identify them?
A. Sawnee is coordinating the AMI project with its own staff
and various contractor(s). All representatives will be driving
marked vehicles with the phrase “Sawnee EMC” or “Contractor for
Sawnee EMC”. These employees can be identified by their photo
identification badge. SEMC staff and our contractors will
perform on-going maintenance on some equipment once deployment
is complete.
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8.
Q. How will I know when I am scheduled to have my
meter equipped with AMI technology?
A. You will receive notification by mail
approximately 2
weeks before your meter(s) is scheduled to be installed.
As a courtesy, the installer will announce that your meter is
about to be changed out by knocking on your door to inform you
of a brief electric interruption when the electric meter is
being exchanged. This electric outage should only last
about
10 minutes; however, you may want to be sure your computer
data is saved and all computers are turned “off”.
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9.
Q. Will I need to be at home or at my business when
you install the AMI device?
A. In most cases, you will
not need to be at your home
or business when the meter is exchanged. If no one is present,
meter exchange technicians will leave a door hanger at your
premises indicating that the meter was successfully exchanged or
advising you that an appointment is required to access the meter
for the exchange. In most cases business service
will not
be interrupted during normal business hours and we will schedule a time
to make the exchange.
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10.
Q. Is there anything I should do before the
AMI device is installed at my property?
A. Yes. To make the meter exchange at your location go
quickly and efficiently, you should clear an adequate work area
around your electric meter(s) to give our technician ready access
to the meter. We would greatly appreciate your assistance
in removing any obstructions or barriers, such as overgrown
shrubs, siding or other obstacles from around your meter.
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11.
Q. What happens if my meter is not
accessible?
A. If the meter is not accessible it is because it is
located inside of a locked area that is not accessible. We
will leave a notice at your door advising you of this issue and
request that you contact our office to schedule a mutually convenient time for the
meter exchange.
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12.
Q. I would like to be home when the AMI device is
installed. Will your installers make an appointment with me?
A. Generally,
no. Appointments will only be made for
customers whose meters are
not accessible. Many factors
determine when the devices will be installed at various
locations including the number of meters in an area, the route
schedule, and installation efficiency. It would be too
difficult to successfully meet appointment times.
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13.
Q. How will I know if my meter has been exchanged?
A. If no one is at the home or business, we will generally
leave a door hanger when we exchange the electric meter
to indicate that a brief interruption of your electrical service
has occurred. Also, you can call our offices and we will be
glad to tell you.
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14.
Q. A door hanger was left asking me to call and
schedule an appointment. Why do I need to do that?
A. Most likely, we were unable to gain access to your meter
and it was considered inaccessible. Please call the phone
number on the door hanger ( 770-887-2363) so we can make
arrangements to access the meter to complete the exchange.
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15.
Q. How long will the meter exchange take?
A. We anticipate that the meter exchange will take
about
ten (10) minutes for each meter. It could take longer if you have objects or shrubbery blocking your
meter. All efforts you make to help us gain access to your
meter are sincerely appreciated.
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16.
Q. Will my electric service be interrupted during
the meter exchange?
A.
Yes, for a brief period. Exchanging your meter
will cause a brief loss of service, so please be sure to follow
manufacturers’ recommendations to protect electronic equipment
and data. Clocks, programmable thermostats and other devices
may need to be reset after the meter exchange.
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17.
Q. I have a generator that starts automatically when
the power is off. What will happen during the meter exchange?
A. The meter exchange technician
will knock on the door
to inform you of a brief outage while the meter is exchanged.
If the generator is installed correctly to automatically
transfer the power source, we would expect the generator to come
on when the meter is removed. This should activate an automatic
transfer switch that will isolate the customer’s generator from
Sawnee’s service. The exchanger will verify the transfer switch
operated properly by checking for back-feed voltage at the
meterbase; if no back-feed voltage is present, they will install
the new AMI meter. The same sensing device that indicated a
loss of Sawnee service and started the generator should detect
that service has been restored, and after a few moments, turn
the generator off.
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18.
Q. Will I have to pay a fee to receive my new AMI
meter?
A.
No. There is not a separate additional charge to
SEMC members for the installation of AMI service.
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19.
Q. Will AMI service interfere with my radio,
telephone, computer, television, phones, wireless internet
access, invisible fence or other equipment?
A.
No. The transmitting device operates in
compliance with FCC regulations in a licensed spectrum to avoid
interference with other electronic devices. The AMI system
operates independently at a low-power frequency reserved for
this purpose and should not interfere with other equipment.
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20.
Q. How long before my meter is read by the AMI
rather than by the meter reader?
A. The entire AMI project will be phased in over a three
(3) year period. When meters in an area (we call “routes”) are
all equipped with AMI devices, those meters will, from that date
forward, be read remotely each month and not by a person. To
confirm the equipment is operating properly and to perform
routine maintenance, a meter reader will read the meter
periodically as well as on a random schedule. We are performing
quality assurance of our processes so you may see a member of
our staff at your home or business several times just to be sure
the exchange went as planned.
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21.
Q. Will this meter exchange affect my automatic Bank
Draft or Budget Billing plan arrangements?
A. The AMI project
will not affect your selected
payment method such as bank draft or budget billing.
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22.
Q. Will I still see meter readers in my area
occasionally?
A.
Yes. The use of AMI technology will
significantly lessen, not eliminate, the need for traditional
meter readers. We feel we may on rare occasion still need to
send employees to your area or home to inspect, monitor and
service this and other equipment. Also, we will be performing
random meter reads to ensure the AMI system is functioning as
designed.
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23.
Q. Will my new meter be accurate?
A.
Yes. Every meter is checked for accuracy before
it leaves the factory and the staff of SEMC randomly spot checks
AMI meters to ensure the test data provided by our vendor is
correct and accurate.
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24.
Q. Will the timing change from when I am billed?
A.
No. Customers will see
no difference in
the timing or billing method for their monthly electric usage.
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25.
Q. When will I receive my first bill based on the
new AMI technology?
A. Once we begin installation in your community or area, we
will immediately begin to collect data from these meters and
generate bills using the new technology. You should expect to see your
first AMI based bill after we change your meter. Also,
approximately 2-3 days after your meter has been changed you can
see your daily meter data at our online data portal.
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26.
Q. Is my account information secure?
A.
Yes. Only meter readings and meter
identification data are transmitted over a secure gateway to our
offices in Cumming, Georgia. The AMI system
does not
interact with, or transmit, personal customer information.
Also, measures have been put into place to ensure that no personal identification
information will be located at our AMI data portal.
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27.
Q. Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
A. If you have additional questions about this automated
meter project, you can contact our Marketing Department at
770-887-2363, ext. 7544 or via email at
marketing@sawnee.com they will be happy to answer your
questions.