San Jose Water to invest in advanced metering infrastructure across California
SJW Group subsidiary San Jose Water has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in the US state of California to deploy advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) throughout its service area.
AMI technology includes advanced meters that can take up to hourly readings every day, along with a data transmission system to provide water usage information to customers in near real-time. Currently, meter reads are carried out manually and are provided to most customers once every two months.
The news follows a successful pilot study completed in 2019, which showed significant customer benefits of the AMI programme, including 24-hour access to water usage data, early leak detection and timely notification of usage spikes.
In addition to enhancing customers’ access to water use information, AMI has been shown to encourage more efficient use of water and preserve water resources, supporting initiatives across the state of California to drive water conservation.
“California is still feeling the impact of our most recent severe drought,” commented Andrew Gere, president and COO of San Jose Water. “And, the reality of future droughts has changed the way people think about water.
“Customers want to know how they can manage their water consumption. AMI is a critical investment in our infrastructure that aligns with our goals of environmental stewardship and innovation as a solution.
“This technology would allow customers to more effectively monitor and control their usage and preserve valuable water resources – while complying with new state conservation standards and minimising our carbon footprint.”
The filing by San Jose Water requests an implementation schedule that would complete installation by the end of 2024. Operation of the new meters is expected to begin by January 2025 to coincide with the anticipated enforcement of new urban water efficiency standards in California.
AMI technology includes advanced meters that can take up to hourly readings every day, along with a data transmission system to provide water usage information to customers in near real-time. Currently, meter reads are carried out manually and are provided to most customers once every two months.
The news follows a successful pilot study completed in 2019, which showed significant customer benefits of the AMI programme, including 24-hour access to water usage data, early leak detection and timely notification of usage spikes.
In addition to enhancing customers’ access to water use information, AMI has been shown to encourage more efficient use of water and preserve water resources, supporting initiatives across the state of California to drive water conservation.
“California is still feeling the impact of our most recent severe drought,” commented Andrew Gere, president and COO of San Jose Water. “And, the reality of future droughts has changed the way people think about water.
“Customers want to know how they can manage their water consumption. AMI is a critical investment in our infrastructure that aligns with our goals of environmental stewardship and innovation as a solution.
“This technology would allow customers to more effectively monitor and control their usage and preserve valuable water resources – while complying with new state conservation standards and minimising our carbon footprint.”
The filing by San Jose Water requests an implementation schedule that would complete installation by the end of 2024. Operation of the new meters is expected to begin by January 2025 to coincide with the anticipated enforcement of new urban water efficiency standards in California.
