Things to Know Before Setting Up An Account:

1. The My Water Advisor portal only accepts 17 characters in the account name, if there are more enter only the first 17 characters.  
2. Commas and spaces in the customer name may need to be omitted.
3. Sign up for alerts so you can be notified if a leak at your home occurs.
4. Do not use phone numbers to sign in. Use the Account number and name from your bill.

What Is AMI?

AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure.  It is a method of using communication technology to read meters remotely without having to access the meter located in meter boxes in the ground.

How Does It Work?

Washington City has chosen a fixed based network that provides two-way communication from the meter box to strategically located Base Stations. The City is replacing water meters throughout with new meters equipped with a meter transceiver. The meter transceiver is used to collect and transmit meter reading data, unique identification numbers, operating status, and various alarms at regular intervals to the Base Stations.
        
Will the City be raising water rates to pay for this new AMI system?

No. The AMI system is a budget neutral project.         

Will The Electronic Device On The Meter Interfere With Other Electronic Equipment?

No. The radio transmission operates in compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations to avoid interference with other electronic devices.

Is The Electronic Device and Data Encrypted?

Yes.  Data transmitted from the meter through the system is encrypted through the entire process.

Is This Part Of A Fixed (Closed) Network?

Yes. The fixed network will collect readings at fixed data collection points and transmit them electronically for billing purposes without staff needing to go to the location of the meters.

Can I Access Daily Readings Online?

Yes, when the system is fully implemented, water customers will have the ability to access their daily water consumption online in one hour increments.  

Does My Meter Have To Be Replaced?

Yes. All meters will be changed to be read by the automated metering infrastructure technology.  Customers cannot choose to remain on the older manual reading system.

Has the New AMI Equipment Been Tested For Accuracy And Reliability?

Yes. Meters come pretested along with results directly from the manufacturer. The radio device will be tested for accuracy during the meter collection process regularly.         

How Does AMI Benefit Customers?

1. Improved customer service by increasing accuracy and frequency of meter readings.
2. Minimized need to access meters at the property.
3. Reduction in estimated bills.
4. Ability for customers to set usage alerts on their account before high bills are received.         

 Are there any health hazards associated with the new technology?

No. The equipment operates at a low-power radio frequency, comparable to a cordless telephone. All equipment operates in compliance with state and federal communication standards. Water meters are typically installed away from the house so potential exposure is very limited; the communication device only turns on for a fraction of a second per day (totaling approximately 2 1⁄2 minutes per year).

Health and Safety Impacts:

Like all commercially available telecommunication equipment, the AMI communication devices are required to meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radio Frequency (RF) limits.Equipment manufacturers have vigorously tested and reviewed independent lab results demonstrating that the communication devices meet or exceed FCC limits. Common household items like cell phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors, cordless telephones and Wi-Fi routers emit much more radio frequency energy than AMI meters.

Radio Frequency Background:

The meter communication devices and the network communication system will operate in the 450 to 470 megahertz (MHz) bands. The technology products the City will use for its Advanced Metering Infrastructure project comply with U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for human exposure to RF energy (FCC OET bulletin 65). What are the key factors that contribute to RF Exposure from a communication device? There are three key factors that contribute to RF exposure: Signal duration: The communication devices connected to the water meters will normally transmit a signal for a fraction of a second per day or for a total of less than two minutes per year. RF energy: The RF energy emitted by the AMI meter is considerably less than that from common items used every day that emit RF, such as laptops, tablets, cell phones, and baby monitors. Distance from source: The communication device will be located in the same location as the water meter. When the device is transmitting the exposure level is thousands of times lower than the general population exposure limits set by the FCC: At eight inches from the front of the meter, exposure is almost 10,000 times lower than the 450-470 MHz FCC exposure limits; At two feet away, exposure drops to 90,000 times below FCC exposure limits.