{"id":79482,"date":"2024-06-28T08:10:48","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T13:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=79482"},"modified":"2024-06-28T08:10:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T13:10:51","slug":"advanced-metering-infrastructure-coming-to-hays-water-meters-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=79482","title":{"rendered":"Advanced Metering Infrastructure coming to Hays water meters in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY ALICIA FEYERHERM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Thursday’s commission meeting, City Commission approved a bid for new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, four Water Resource staff members walk and touch-read every single meter with a handheld wand and computer to collect water usage data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cManually touch reading meters can take one or more business days depending on the weather conditions,\u201d Director of Water Resources Jeff Crispin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snow storms and other weather events can delay readings and overall decrease efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AMI will allow two-way communication between the water meter and the utility. AMI does not require personnel to collect data; rather, it uploads usage data directly to the utility billing software via cellular data or radio frequency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis technology provides us continuous monitoring, allowing staff to improve our operational efficiencies and proactively detecting malfunctions or leaks and recognizing problems with meters and water usage,\u201d Crispin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2023, City Staff, in coordination with HDR Engineering, crafted a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the AMI project. The City received 10 submittals and eventually narrowed that pool down to three companies using a scoring matrix tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies were evaluated on several criteria, including company history, references, meter and data transmitter technology, data security, training and support services and cost. City Staff chose Core & Main as the recommended bid to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core & Main is the authorized distributor for Sensus meters in Kansas. Sensus uses radio frequency and uploads data to two data centers. One data center would be located at the Sternberg Water Tower and the other at the Water Plant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose two collectors would cover all areas of the city and there\u2019s plenty of room to expand as we continue to grow,\u201d Crispin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensus is equipped with water conservation tools such as leak detection, high usage alarms, pressure indicators and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are the conservation leaders for the state and beyond,\u201d Crispin said. \u201cWe need to continue to evolve and improve our efforts and this adds a significant tool to our toolbox.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This software also benefits the consumer because residents will be able to monitor their usage in real-time. Customers can customize alerts on their account to be notified of leaks or high usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensus AMI systems are used across the state. Garden City, Derby, Lawrence, Mulvane, Junction City and Abilene all use Sensus. In Hays, Midwest Energy uses Sensus for Electric and Gas metering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Crispin, installation of the AMI system should be complete by mid-2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core & Main\u2019s proposal for installing AMI would not exceed $4,448,672. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bid being recommended is not the low bid, but Core and Main\u2019s system is the most cost-effective over 20 years,\u201d Crispin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal is still $551,000 under the 2024 Capital Improvement budget.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crispin also recommended hiring a project manager at Tyler Technologies, which is the city\u2019s utility billing software. The cost of that project manager would not exceed $35,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir project manager does this type of work and they have worked with Sensus before as far as integrating the technology system,\u201d Crispin said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commissioner Sandy Jacobs confirmed that this upgrade would not result in higher bills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty big spend, but I think we\u2019re going to save people water and money,\u201d Mayor Shaun Musil said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission approved the recommendation 4-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other items from the meeting included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n