By Kathryn Kretschmer-Weyland
December 15, 2008

The water infrastructure in our cities, which includes ancient water mains and inaccurate meters, results in loss of up to 45 percent of the water that is delivered to municipal systems, according to the American Waterworks Association. What's more, with prices rising for fuel, chemicals and the infrastructure materials such as mains, hydrants, and valves that are necessary to produce potable water, finding the money to improve water systems cost-effectively is difficult.

Advanced metering infrastructure technology, however, can help cities keep expenses under control by monitoring and tracking water as it comes into the system. AMI can also identify areas of the infrastructure that may be under stress, allowing municipal water companies to pinpoint the areas most in need of upgrade and repair.

AMI also provides accurate and complete data, which is necessary to the successful implementation of strategies to improve water infrastructure is accurate and complete data. Unfortunately, most water meters have historically been read once a month. However, AMI technologies such as Aclara's STAR® Network system allow municipalities to collect data from meters daily, or even hourly. The STAR Network is the leading fixed-network solution for water utilities, with over two million meter-reading devices operating in North America.

What makes the STAR Network system conducive to applications in cities is its simplicity and adaptability. It is comprised of three primary components – a meter transmitter that takes readings from the meters, a data collector that gathers the data, and a network control computer (NCC) that organizes and analyzes the meter data. The system's data collectors are unobtrusive and can be mounted on existing structures such as utility poles and buildings. What's more, the batteries that operate the collectors are charged using energy-efficient solar panels.

When a water utility employs a fixed network AMI system, it immediately facilitates two-way communication with its customers. This type of interactive contact is impossible with traditional walk-by or drive-by systems, which simplify meter reading but collect data infrequently. With AMI, however, utilities collect enough information to deliver messages on daily consumption, payments, and rate plans to customers. Soon, data will be delivered directly to consumer devices such as pagers, personal digital assistants, home computers, or in-home displays located on the meter or as stand-alone devices that mount on a wall or plug into an outlet. In the near future, two-way communication between the utility and the meter will also allow connection and disconnection of meters remotely, allowing municipal utilities to manage distant meter locations without rolling trucks, saving both time and money.

For more information on Aclara and the STAR Network system please contact Ike Moss, Vice-President of Municipal Sales, Aclara, 216-896-8600, or visit www.Aclara.com.