Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
For over 80 years, Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) has been dedicated to providing members with highly reliable electric service throughout a wide range of conditions and at competitive retail rates. To further this commitment, CEC uses a two-way metering system to monitor and read CEC’s electric meters. This system is referred to as “Advanced Metering Infrastructure” or “AMI”. CEC’s tools use this energy data to present it in an “easy to understand” format that can help you manage your energy usage.
Frequently Asked Questions
A. AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. This refers to systems that measure, collect and analyze energy usage, and interact with advanced devices such as electric meters through various communication media either on-demand or on a
pre-defined schedule. This proven technology enables many utilities, including CEC, to communicate with electric meters remotely and integrate new cost saving activities such as reading electric meters remotely, and allowing customers to have access to detailed energy usage data and graphs.
A. As a customer uses electricity, an electronic module located inside the meter records the energy usage and periodically transmits the usage data and other information through our power lines back to our office in Parker, PA, to be integrated into our computer systems.
A. Nearly every commercial and residential account have been switched to an AMI meter.
A. AMI should virtually eliminate estimated meter readings, and aid in outage prediction which means quicker service restoration. You will also have the ability to view and utilize your detailed energy usage data and other
valuable information. This should assist all members in evaluating and managing their monthly, daily and even hourly electric energy usage with SmartHub.
A. No. The transmitting device operates in compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations in a licensed spectrum to avoid interference with other electronic devices. The AMI system generally only operates for short periods of time each day (e.g. typically once every
4 hours) at a low power frequency reserved for this purpose and should not interfere with other equipment. The meter does not communicate continuously.
A. Yes. The use of AMI technology will not completely eliminate the need for traditional meter servicemen. We feel that we may, on occasion, still send employees to inspect the meter and service other CEC equipment.
A. Yes. Only meter readings and specific meter data are transmitted over a secure gateway to our office in Parker, PA. Also, measures have been put into place to ensure that no personal identification information will be located at our AMI data portal.
A. Industry experts say no. There is no evidence to show that AMI meters are harmful to you. The devices comply with FCC regulations.
A. No. Not unless your old meter was “slow” and was not registering 100% of your electricity usage. Sometimes mechanical meters do slow down over time; but that is not common. Generally, the two (2) factors that can affect your power bill is your kWh usage level increases or a change in the billing structure (price of power). The usage level registered by the meter is very seldom incorrect.
For additional information and details regarding the AMI system, please contact CEC at 800-521-0570.