Automation benefits members Co-op plans to install 25,000 automated meters by 2008 Having one less detail to remember each month is just one advantage to Flathead Electric members whose old self-read meters have been replaced by automated meters that record electrical use and transmit readings to Co-op headquarters. “The majority of people think it’s a good deal,” said Mike Menke, Meter Apparatus Foreman, whose department has been installing automatic meter devices in Co-op territory since 1997. Automated meters benefit people who are physically disabled and previously had a hard time getting to the meters, snowbirds who leave for the winter and people with seasonal residences in remote areas. The meters also can indicate a problem in a timely manner. Recently, a broken pump was discovered because the automated meter indicated unusually high electric use in an unoccupied house. Without the meter reading, the problem might not have been discovered for months. The Co-op uses two types of automated meters. Turtle meters (so named because they are slow but reliable) were installed beginning in 1997 for seasonal accounts in remote areas. These remote meters were expensive for the Co-op to read, and the pilot program proved to be very successful. A total of 10,000 turtle meters are now in operation in the Co-op’s service territory. The turtle meter provides one-way communication from the meter to the receiver only and requires approximately 27 hours for one complete read per meter.
Through the years, technology has evolved to more sophisticated automated meters called TWACS (two-way automated communication system) which can report the status of the meter in 10 to 15 seconds.
Member service staff can retrieve a
reading while sitting at their desks as they help members with billing,
transfer, connect or disconnect issues. In addition to convenience for members, automated meters also will save money. It’s estimated that costs will be reduced an average of $2.30 per meter per month because of net reductions in manual meter reading alone. |
2004 June Applications Received Marion Fire Department Flathead County Sheriff’s Department Bike Patrol Equipment $3,850.00 Kalispell Equipment $2,403.80 Deer Park Mental Health Center Evergreen School 1 Applications Pending
Applications from non-profit groups are considered each month by a board of directors representing each Co-op district. For information and application forms, call 751-4483 in Kalispell and 293-7122 in Libby. |
