Munroe Falls Is Latest Ohio Municipality to Employ Aclara Water Meter Reading Technology
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Aclara Technologies LLC, a leading provider of smart infrastructure technologies for water, gas and electric utilities, has finalized an agreement with the City of Munroe Falls in Northeast Ohio, to deploy its STAR® network meter-reading solution to local residents. In addition to Munroe Falls, other Ohio cities using Aclara’s STAR network include Berea, Bexley, Middletown, Newark, Springboro, Sylvania and Wooster.
The STAR network will be deployed as part of the city’s Water Meter Efficiency Replacement Project. Munroe Falls will replace existing water meters with Aclara’s network to automatically read meters hourly. With plans to implement the project over the next 12 months, the city will use the comprehensive data provided by the system to improve customer service and conserve resources by reducing water losses from leaks, inoperable meters and theft. The new system will also increase revenue and streamline operations.
“Our intent was to find the best designed and operational, fixed network AMI system,” said James Bowery, service director for the City of Munroe Falls. “Aclara uses the latest technology to provide a state-of-the-art program that will serve the city’s present needs and provide a foundation for the future that allows easy expansion, upgradability, system integration and maintenance.”
Aclara was selected based on the company’s extensive industry experience, low risk, cost-effective solution and local support. The new system will significantly increase metering accuracy and efficiency, while eliminating billing errors. It will also reduce costly service calls to verify meter readings and leaks.
Hourly, time-stamped reads from the system will virtually eliminate estimated billing and errors, improve revenue management and reduce customer service calls. What’s more, water meters equipped with Aclara technology will signal the utility if tampering is suspected, and system reporting will notify of reverse flow conditions and unusual consumption. The STAR network transmits over low-frequency, FCC-licensed radio signals within the 450-470MHz frequency range, and is configurable to meet the requirements of any size utility.
About Aclara
Aclara Technologies LLC is a world-class supplier of smart infrastructure technologies to water, gas, and electric utilities globally. Over 500 utilities in nine countries rely on proven Aclara solutions to connect with their customers. Aclara is owned by Sun Capital Partners. Visit us at www.Aclara.com and follow us on Twitter @AclaraSolutions.
