Your Automatic Meter Reading meter looks like your old meter with and Encoder Receiving Transmitter (ERT) installed to store your meter read.	To read your meter, our mobile unit travels your neighborhood and electronically reads your meter.

The System
The AMR system consists of two separate systems.  The first system is a computerized telephone inbound AMR system.  This system is used for water/wastewater billing and monitoring daily usage for surface water contract compliance, effluent meter and large consumption users, in areas where the division cannot receive a radio signal but has access to telephone lines.  The interface unit reads the meter and the reading is transmitted over the telephone line to the mainframe computer at Utility Customer Service in order to produce water bills.  Water/wastewater usage can be monitored hourly, daily, or monthly for billing, flow analysis, leak detection and rate studies.

The second system is a radio frequency system.   These units will be read with handheld computers and/or a mobile unit equipped with a radio receiver.  The mobile unit will read approximately 20,000 meters per an 8-hour day, thereby enabling one employee to perform work presently requiring 65 employees.  The City of Houston plans to install 100,000 radio transmitting devices annually and 400,000 devices within four years.

This is the first major utility in the nation with 400,000 plus connections to undertake and invest in an AMR pits (ground) project.

We are installing meters on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. We will require access to your property ONLY IF your meter is located in your backyard.  You do not have to be home during the installation. Installing your new meter takes about 30 minutes.  We will shut off your water during that time.	PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES ARE EASY TO IDENTIFY Look for the employee's photo ID with the employee name and number. Employees wear a blue or white shirt with a City of Houston, Department of Public Works and Engineering patch.

Benefits
Benefits of the AMR system are increased accuracy, improved efficiency and productivity, increased cash flow, improved response to billing inquiries, creation of leak detection profile, automatic service connects/disconnects, and enhanced data collection.

Automation will eliminate the need for Meter Readers to walk and read meters. Instead, meters will be read by driving down the street and reading the meters by a remote vehicle mounted device.  Telephone inbound meters can be read by a computer in our office via telephone line much like a computer modem.