FortisAlberta is carrying out an important project to improve our customer service. Automated metering is a proven technology that provides automatic, up-to-date meter readings for our customers. It is being phased in across our service area by the end of 2010, and will provide customers with actual meter readings every month.

The new meter technology replaces our current practice of manually reading meters every two months with estimated readings in between. Automated meters enable us to obtain the real consumption number each and every month, and allows us to report up-to-date customer consumption numbers to retailers.

In addition, this technology will replace the significant costs – and environmental footprint – associated with manually reading meters all across southern and central Alberta. The system will pay for itself in eight years, with savings ultimately passed on to customers. FortisAlberta is also keeping our automated metering project green by recycling all components of the conventional meters that will be replaced, ensuring zero landfill waste.

In 2007, the first phase of the project, 27,000 automated meters were installed for residential, farm, irrigation and commercial customers in the areas of Leduc, Stony Plain, Vauxhall and Brooks.

After receiving further regulatory approval, automated metering technology is being fully implemented for the more than 400,000 remaining customers across FortisAlberta’s service area by the end of 2010.

For more information about automated metering and FortisAlberta’s automated metering project, click on the links to the right.