BONNYVILLE - ATCO employees will soon be installing Advanced Metering Infrastructure in the areas in the Town of Bonnyville, MD of Bonnyville and St. Paul areas.
ATCO’s website says AMI meters can detect outages faster while restoring power more efficiently. They also ensure timelier reads, ensuring electricity bill calculations are more accurate.
The reason for installing the new infrastructure is because old electricity meters are reaching the end of their certified product life cycle.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is an integrated system involving radio gateways that read meter data, communication networks, and data management systems. The digital electricity meters measure how much electricity is used and when electricity is used, reporting users’ energy consumption to ATCO in real time. The meters work by using radio frequency (RF) to receive and transmit information.
Regarding privacy concerns, the data from each meter is encrypted before being transmitted. The installation process is described as quick and safe, with ATCO representatives notifying individuals at their doors beforehand. To find out more details about when ATCO is scheduling the installation of AMI meters in specific communities, people can call 1-800-668-2248.
“We’re upgrading electricity meters in your neighbourhood so we can continue to provide you with safe and reliable electricity service,” ATCO says on their AMI web site.
AMI Meters have already been implemented throughout many cities across Canada.
