Advanced Metering Infrastructure

The Fremont Department of Utilities has partnered with Open Access Technology International (OATI) to deploy an Advanced Metering Infrastructure system.  

Technology is advancing in every area of our lives, and soon you'll benefit from the new digital technology that will help bring you cleaner, safer, more reliable energy.  The next generation of our energy grid, the advanced grid, will help us serve you better.  As part of building the advanced grid, we will exchange customers' electric meters with smart meters. 

We will deploy the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system in multiple phases.  Phase I of the project involves replacing 50% of all electric meters in our service territory.  This will provide for a functional Advanced Metering Infrastructure system.  Subsequent phases of this project involve replacing the remainder of the electric meters and changing gas and water encoder receiver transmitters (ERTs) to meter integration units (MIUs).  Completion of the final phase will provide the full functionality and benefits of a complete AMI system.  

What is Advanced Metering Infrastructure?

• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a system that uses smart meters and communication networks to enable two-way communication between utilities and their customers.  This system allows for the automated collection, storage, and analysis of electric, gas, and water data, providing utilities with real-time monitoring of electricity, gas, and water consumption. 

What is a Smart Meter?

• A smart meter is an electrical device that measures the electricity consumption of a home or building. 
• A smart meter allows for two-way communication between your electric meter and us, the Fremont Department of Utilities.

What are the benefits?

• AMI technology provides us with better information about the electric, gas, and water systems in a time-efficient manner. The increased flow of information can help us forecast customer demands for power, efficiently deliver energy to homes and businesses, reduce meter reading costs, improve metering accuracy, and more quickly identify and respond to power outages.  

How does AMI affect me?

• Smart meter installation is quick and easy.  You will experience a brief power outage of approximately 15 minutes or less when your electric meter is replaced with a new smart meter, and in most cases, you do not need to be home for us to swap your electric meter.  
• Exchanging the gas ERT to the gas MIU is also quick and easy so long as the gas meter is safely accessible.  You should not experience any interruption to your gas service. 
• Exchanging the water ERT to the water MIU is again, quick and easy, but it does require us to gain entry to access the water meter.  

Is there an opt out option?

• There is not an opt out option.  All electric meters in our service territory will be replaced with an AMI electric meter. 

I work from home. How will I know when my electric meter is being exchanged?

• The technician will knock and/or ring the doorbell in an attempt to notify habitants that the meter is being exchanged and that there will be a brief disruption to the electric service.

What technology is used in AMI?

• We utilize LoRaWAN technology for our AMI system.  LoRaWAN stands for Long Range Wide Area Network.  

How does LoRaWAN work?

• LoRaWAN operates on the 902MHz to 928MHz frequency space, much like cordless phones, remote controls, and other household appliances, to communicate meter data from homes to utilities.  
• Additional information regarding LoraWAN can be found here.