Project overview
Customer:
Newport News Waterworks
Products:
Smart Meters
Location:
Newport News, VA
Challenge:
Upgrade aging metering infrastructure to improve water utility reliability and sustainability for 118,000 residential services.
Solution:
Implement advanced metering infrastructure system-wide in the largest remote disconnect meter project to date.
Product advantages:
Eliminates need for manual meter reading, cutting labor and transportation costs
Provides more accurate data for water conservation and billing
Extends lifespan of metering system
“Two facts make this particular meter and this deployment unique. First, from a size and scope standpoint, this is the largest deployment Ferguson has executed. Second, this is also the largest remote disconnect meter project ever deployed in the U.S. Our vendor partner, Mueller, has a proven product that we can incorporate into our full Advanced Metering Infrastructure solution and deliver on the client’s needs.”
– Brandon Mathews, Business Development Manager, Ferguson Waterworks, Meter and Automation Group
Background and project scope
Newport News Waterworks services a population with a high percentage of military personnel. This demographic generates a high dunning rate, or rate of move-ins and move-outs, that requires frequent utility starts and stops. The area’s existing metering system drives labor and transportation costs during meter readings and service calls, and the aging, manual system provides imprecise data, which could lead to inaccurate utility billing and poor water conservation.
Method
Ferguson Waterworks and Newport News Waterworks embarked on a 42-month system-wide deployment of roughly 130,000 “smart” meters that will communicate through the Mueller Mi.Net AMI System. The advanced metering infrastructure will enable the utility to turn water on and off remotely, record more accurate data for billing and water conservation and eliminate the need to send technicians to conduct on-site readings.
The solution: Ferguson Waterworks
Newport News Waterworks partnered with Ferguson Waterworks because of the historical, widespread benefits our Metering and Automation Group have delivered for municipalities across the United States. We also have a close relationship with Mueller, the smart metering vendor, allowing us to provide streamlined access to products that integrate seamlessly into our advanced metering systems.
For more information, visit ferguson.com/waterworks.