Updated May 04, 2021
Project modernizes metering system to allow for near- and long-term benefits
Like many utilities throughout the United States, Roseville will embark on a meter upgrade project to modernize the metering system later this year. This metering upgrade, which will take several years to implement citywide, includes industry-standard meters that wirelessly send readings and essential service information to both our water and electric utilities.
“We live in a world where we must use technology to help enhance how we do business,” said Shawn Matchim, assistant director for electric. “Modernizing our metering system provides immediate benefit once we convert customers but, more importantly, gives us a chance to enhance our customer service efforts over time.”
Roseville plans to replace older commercial and residential electric and water meters with new ones. As these meters come online, City employees will no longer need to visit homes or businesses to read meters physically and can send commands through the network to connect service and perform maintenance virtually. In the end, it will yield faster customer service resolution and smarter billing information for both the utilities and our customers.
“We know that systems like these have and continue to be implemented across the country because of the long-term benefit for everyone,” said Sean Bigley, assistant director for water. “Moving to this technology will one day give access to consumption data in near-real-time for customers so they can then modify their usage to become more water-efficient and save money on their utility bills. It’ll allow us also to detect problems including customer leaks that are sometimes slow and problematic to track, helping us reduce system water leakage and comply with ongoing changes in state regulations.”
With projects like these, we anticipate that customers can look for ways of reducing their bill before it arrives. While not immediate, we plan to develop other programs that utilities across the nation offer, including time of use rates for electric customers, encouraging energy usage during non-peak hours of the day.
Roseville is currently in the planning stage of the project. We will start with a small area within Roseville to understand how to scale the project under real-world conditions. Following that installation, full deployment would commence. We anticipate the start of the project over the next 8 to 12 months.
For more information about the project, visit roseville.ca.us/meterupgrade.