Optimize Your AMI Deployment Methodology –

Minimize the Impact on Meter Reading

The Scenario

When most utilities embark on a major meter deployment project (AMI/AMR/New Technology) the task of planning the work typically falls on the shoulders of utility individuals that have had limited experience in mass meter replacement programs. In most cases, meters, whether they are gas, electric or water, are grouped or organized in a “cycle and route’ format. The term “cycle and route” are just one of the many terms used in the industry to describe this grouping. Other familiar terms commonly used by utilities are days, books, zones, regions, etc. Never the less, all these terms relate to the layout of meters within a certain billing period (typically 22 days if the utility bills monthly) which can be read daily by a meter reader (if manu-ally read). The number of readers lines up with the number of “routes” in a given “day.” Customers get their meters read every month on this date (or very near to it) so that there are few wide variations in billing. So for the sake of illustration, let’s say a utility bills monthly so it would most likely have 22 or 23 days/cycles/books and within each of the 22 there would be 35 routes/legs. Each route is handled by a reader that can read approximately 400 meters per day (typical urban/suburban reading number). This utility bills approxi-mately 308K meters monthly.

The Challenge

During the meter deployment rollout, there is to be minimal effect on the customer billing. Customers are to be billed on the same day. Meter Reading Staffing, whether they are utility FTEs or contractor FTEs, must maintain adequate numbers throughout the project.

The Corkscrew Solution

CCI promotes a cyclonic methodology called the “Corkscrew Method” during large scale, multiyear AMI/AMR/New Technology Meter Deployments. It addresses the need to intelligently manage the Meter Reading FTE requirements during the meter deployment. A typical “Cycle and Route” and common approach is where meter change outs occur within a particular cycle and route and then once a saturation level is met, new work is released to convert another identified cycle and route. The Corkscrew Method first looks at the length of the project and then divides each cycle into that time period. A portion of each cycle is then re-leased for conversion and once that is completed a new portion of the next cycle is released. This will allow for the steady reduction in Meter Reading Staff instead of the “Cycle and Route” approach. The “Cycle and Route” approach during the course of the meter deployment project would need a full complement of read-ers on some cycle days and on other days few to none.

In the case mentioned above, using the Corkscrew Method, the project was scheduled to be completed in 36 months (3 years). At the end of the first year, each one of the cycles would have been visited and a third of the accounts/meters would have been converted (102K meters, with 12 routes in each cycle). At the end of the second year 204K meters in 24 cycles would have been converted. The remaining 105K meters in the re-maining 11 routes (within each cycle) would be addressed in the third year. Note that typical meter reading black out windows would apply throughout the entire project.

The Benefits

A smoother transition of the manual meter reading staff is accomplished when utilizing the Corkscrew Meth-odology instead of the typical “Cycle and Route” approach. Using the example above, during the second year of deployment there would be some cycle days in which a much smaller number of readers would be re-quired to read meters and some cycle days where a full contingent of readers would still be needed. This im-balance would exist throughout the entire length of the project. Costly over staffing and maintaining the better readers would be a major challenge. With the Corkscrew Methodology, a systematic reduction of staff throughout the project lifecycle would be maintained. Meters within areas that had previously been released to be converted, yet due to unavoidable reasons were not, would still have staff in the appropriate cycle days to be read. As well, missed converted meters in the initial conversion could be included in the second and third rounds within each cycle. This would benefit the utility as well as the installation group since these me-ters would be in close proximity to the new work.

The Corkscrew Method helps address customer service implications of billing issues and regulatory require-ments around utility billing during a meter deployment project. Public Utility Commissions track customer satisfaction scores which include billing issues due to estimates and high bill complaints. Utilities that want to remain compliant with all regulated requirements need to consider the Corkscrew Method over any other Meter Deployment Project.

The benefits of the Corkscrew method far outweigh any other approach to a multi-year meter deployment. The only requirement is a bit more planning at the beginning of the project with all stakeholders contributing to the success.

The following graphics illustrate the success of the Corkscrew Methodology.

The Corkscrew Methodology was developed by CCI’s Kirt Pearce, Director of Workforce Development. Kirt has suc-

cessfully utilized this methodology on various AMI projects over the course of his 15+ year career in the industry. At

CCI, Kirt is responsible for overall project management support, compliance and oversight of all gas operations, as

well as the corporate responsibility for the development and implementation of CCI’s Utility Sponsored – Contrac-

tor Workforce Development Program.

John K. Pearce, PMP, CET

CCI Director of Workforce Development