Advanced Metering Infrastructure
AMI FAQ
What is Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI?
Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, is the term used to describe the full set of technologies and systems that create two-way communication between consumers’ electrical meter and the utility’s billing, distribution and control systems. With AMI, Southern Pioneer Electric Company and its consumers will have the ability to share information about energy usage in real-time and, as a result, boost efficiency. Consumers can take full advantage of this technology by logging into SmartHub to see their incremental usage any time.
How do the advanced meters work?
AMI allows Southern Pioneer to read the meter remotely from our office. Information from the meter is transmitted back to us securely in increments throughout the day. Transmitting this information electronically means that a meter reader no longer comes to your house in person.
What Are the Advantages of AMI?
Our Advanced Metering Infrastructure provides Southern Pioneer consumers with numerous benefits. The meters help us:
- Maintain competitive rates by reducing operating expenses
- Improve billing accuracy, eliminating misreads or inaccurate readings
- Pinpoint the exact location of outages more quickly, meaning a faster response time
- Help our consumer troubleshoot high-bill problems by providing information about power consumption patterns
- Improve electric service reliability and power quality
- Help secure the overall safety of Southern Pioneer’s employee team
- Monitor meter temperature to watch for loose connections to prevent fires.
- Monitor transformer loads and change out overloaded equipment before it causes an outage.
What if I have questions about my usage or bill?
You are always welcome to call our office and talk to a customer service representative. You also have the ability to view your electrical usage through our mobile app and online version of SmartHub. In SmartHub you can see your hourly usage, report outages, sign up for notifications, pay your bill and more.
What information does the advanced meter record?
Each meter records an electronic kWh reading, the date and time of energy usage, the overall peak demand of the electric account if the meter has rotated backward and the number of times the meter has experienced a loss of power for any reason. In fact, the meter will record the date and time of light blinks and the length of the power outage for outages that occur on the Southern Pioneer side of the meter.
Does Southern Pioneer still need access to the meter since it can be read remotely?
Yes. Reasonable access to equipment still must be maintained. This allows our personnel to either read, inspect or maintain the meter if necessary, at reasonable times. Routine inspections of all meters and services is necessary in order to look for safety hazards, theft or other problems.
How secure is my data over the AMI network?
Your usage and customer information are very secure. All traffic over the AMI network is encrypted with a unique encryption key and no customer data is transmitted over the AMI network, only usage data, which is then correlated to the appropriate account at our office.
Can Southern Pioneer disconnect electric service using the advanced meters?
Yes, our meters can have remote disconnect/reconnect capabilities. This decreases the amount of time you will have to wait for your power to be connected when moving or reconnected when paying your bill.
Should I still call in if I experience a power outage?
Yes, our meters report outages and blinks upstream of the meter. If something has gone wrong downstream of the meter, we can direct you how to best take care of the problem safely. Always call to report power outages if you do not know the cause.
Why are my lights blinking?
Blinking lights can be annoying and finding the cause even more so. Please call us, and we can help. We have the ability to monitor your voltage and transformer load from our office as well as send a representative to look and make sure all our connections are tight.