FAQs AMI: Advanced Metering Infrastructure Program

Q:        What is AMI?

A:        Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, is the term used to describe the full set of technologies and systems that create two-way communication between members' electrical and water meter and the utility's billing, distribution and control systems. This is part of what's typically called the "smart grid." Historically, information and energy have flowed in one direction only - from the utility to the meter.

The new meters often are referred to as "smart meters" due to their ability to send and receive data. "Smart meters" are only one component of a "smart grid."

 Q:        How do AMI meters affect my service?

A:        Other than a brief power outage at the time of installation, which is necessary to make the conversion safely, there will be no noticeable change in service.

 Q:        How do I benefit from having a smart meter?

A:        Deploying smart meters to all customers enables the Village of Wellington to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively, which lowers costs and reduces pressure on members' rates. Meter readers no longer must enter your property for monthly meter readings. Trips by Village personnel to your property will become rare events. This will reduce labor, fuel and vehicle costs.

Meters are now read more regularly; increased frequency helps resolve billing disputes more easily.

In some cases, our ability to communicate with your meter also can give us precise information about the timing and location of outages, making some power restoration efforts more efficient. In such situations, we reduce line crews' labor, fuel and vehicle costs because we can pinpoint outages more comprehensively and achieve total restoration faster.

 Q:        Can I choose to not have a smart meter?

A:        No. There is no opt-out provision allowed. All our homes and businesses need to be equipped with the new meters to continue providing the quality of service our residents and businesses have come to expect for the next generation of meters. The efficiency of our billing, technology and electrical system operations depends upon the interconnected exchange of information, so all parts of our system must be integrated in this manner. Leaving any existing meters in place would create gaps in our system that would hurt efficiency and drive-up costs.

 Q:        I have heard that Ohio allows opt out provisions for meters. Does that apply in this case? 

A:        No. The opt out provisions are an administrative rule created by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for Investor-Owned Utilities (think, First Energy). The Village of Wellington, as a Home Rule Charter form of government, operates under a different authoritative structure under the State of Ohio. In this case, the opt-out provision does not apply, and is not allowed. For reasons stated above, the systemwide update needs to be implemented at one time to provide the best service for years to come.  

 Q. What if I don’t want the utility monitoring my electricity and water usage? 

A:        In order to provide service, our utilities have always been required to monitor your electric and water usage. That was done in person once a month, in the field by a meter reader. With the new metering technology, we can read the utility usage remotely, and more frequently, in order to help provide better service. This is helpful in two ways, it can help alert the utility to water breaks, which can help the utility notify residents, especially if they are out of town, in order to keep damage and unwanted costs to a minimum for the resident. Additionally, it will help the utility identify and restore power faster when natural disasters occur.  

 Q.        Through monitoring, can you identify specific ways that we are using electricity and water? 

A:        We are not able to identify the specific ways you are using your electricity or water; we can only access gross usage data.

 Q.        Can my bill go up with the installation of new, more accurate meters?

A:        In some instances, yes. This is because the old, mechanical meter was running slower than it should have been and therefore was giving artificially low usage readings. In that case, you were receiving some services for free, and others had to cover the costs system-wide for your free incremental usage. The new meters use electronics to measure usage and is more accurate.  With the new AMI meters, all Village residents and businesses will have accurate meters, which will ensure everyone is fairly billed for their actual usage. Every user has a vested interest in everyone’s meters working accurately.

 Q:        Does the communication protocol from my AMI meters pose any health risk?

A:        No. The low voltage communication protocols use the same technologies that are commonly used in our society for all wireless communication systems today. These communications systems use a much smaller radio frequency (RF) energy output than most other common applications, such as cell phones and wireless communication devices, which are currently deployed everywhere around us. 

In-depth review of the scientific literature by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the small amount of radio frequency (RF) energy produced by smart meters is not harmful to human health.

RF emitted by smart meters is well below the limits set by Federal Communications Commission and it is below levels produced by other common household devices like cell phones, baby monitors, satellite TVs, and microwaves. In fact, you would have to be exposed to the RF from a smart meter for 375 years to get a dose equivalent to that of 1 year of 15-minutes-per-day of cell phone use.