Energy Efficiency: AMI Meter Usage

Aug 1, 2023

Actively monitoring and adjusting your energy usage will assist you in conserving energy and using the energy you require more efficiently, which is not only good for the environment, but could ultimately result in lower energy costs.

As part of BELCO’s ongoing infrastructure improvements, we are implementing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) island-wide to provide you with the tools required to monitor energy usage and to proactively make decisions on how much energy your household consumes.

AMI is an integrated system of advanced meters, communication networks and data management systems that enable two-way communication between a utility and its customers. Each advanced meter is a digital meter that contains a small computer chip and radio that enable information to be transmitted to and from BELCO over a secure network in near real-time.

The new AMI meters provide several energy efficiencies benefits to our customers beyond the administrative features like choosing your billing date and prepaid payment options. These benefits include:

1. More Control Over Your Spend
AMI provides you with relevant data about your household energy usage, putting you in control of the electricity you use. Every 24 hours, your advanced meter sends a report to your account portal on the BELCO website so you can see your usage from the past 24 hours. This data is separated by hour, which helps you to see how and when you are using electricity.Additionally, the portal overlays outdoor temperatures and humidity for each day from local weather services to help explain usage; for example, if your air conditioner was using more energy to keep the house cool because the outdoor temperature was very high.

2. Usage Threshold Notifications
With AMI, you can set usage thresholds with notifications. As you approach your threshold, you will receive alerts. You can then adjust your energy usage for the rest of your billing cycle, enabling you to better manage your bill.

3. More Efficient and Reliable Energy Service
AMI improves the efficiency and reliability of our electricity service by sending us a signal automatically when any abnormality, such as a power outage, occurs. This allows us to deliver better service levels with faster response times. AMI is integrated with our Outage Management System (OMS) to provide more accurate information about outages and restoration times to our customers.

4. More Accurate Billing and Reduction in Energy Theft
BELCO will receive more accurate, up-to-date information about every metered connection in its electricity system. This includes information on power quality, energy usage, outages, and meter tampering. This will enable BELCO to operate the system more efficiently and reduce energy theft.

BELCO’s existing system includes a combination of analog and digital meters, with the latter capable of communicating with handheld devices used by our meter readers. Advanced meters provide our customers and BELCO with more frequent information about the energy being delivered and used, enabling more efficient system management from BELCO’s Grid Operations facilities and faster Outage Management, rather than deploying meter readers and awaiting phone calls. Ultimately, AMI will empower you to take control of your consumption and reduce your carbon footprint while providing more efficient and reliable electricity.

    At BELCO safety comes first in everything we do. AMI meters safely and securely transmit information about your electricity usage to BELCO for only a few seconds every 24 hours. The AMI equipment being installed is compliant with international health and safety standards, including FCC regulations. We also took the extra step of conducting extensive independent research to ensure the wellbeing of the people of Bermuda.

    To date the project to install AMI meters is 85% complete.

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