25G - AGMT METER INFRASTRUCTURE - Laserfiche WebLink

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2s AMI Feasibility Report I Client Name: City of Santa Ana 6.6 INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRAINTS The City will require locations for the installation of AMI network devices. The different architectures and specific vendor solutions require different quantities of network elements. The City can assume that it will take about 15-20 (the number can be higher based on the detailed propagation studies and actual values) pole top devices as data collectors for a point to multipoint network, depending on the unique technology and vendor chosen. This number will vary depending on the technology/vendor chosen and can be more or less than the assumption stated earlier. A detailed network design will have to be completed to determine a more precise number and eventually, the optimum location of the devices. In both cases, street light poles (City is in the process of acquiring the streetlights) and other City owned assets can be utilized. The AMI HES, MDMS and customer portal require hardware to be installed in either the City IT Department data center or vendor hosted facility. Both are viable options. Based on the specific considerations of City, it is Black & Veatch's recommendation that a hosted service option from the AMI and other vendors be explored. This would mean that the AMI HES, MDMS and customer portal would be hosted by the vendor(s). This will allow the City to utilize vendor services and not to burden the City IT resources to implement and manage AMI HES and MDMS. The final decision on this hosted service option will be based on the cost and offerings available from the chosen vendor(s). 6.7 CALL CENTER An AMI project normally results in an initial increase in call center activity. This initial increase is caused by customer questions generated by the program, increased bill inquiries due to a large number of meter replacements where some older meters were under -registering, the need to gain access to some commercial locations, etc. Some utilities have established small, focused teams in the call center that handle all AMI deployment or billing related questions. This is especially valuable during the period of intense field work As this work diminishes and the AMI meters are installed and the solution becomes stable, utility experience and studies have shown that call center activity will decrease as the number of estimated read, billing inquiries and high bill complaints diminish. This reduction can potentially be expedited and increased through the implementation of customer presentment tools that provide customers with information on their usage, leak notification, and other information. The City has a small pool of staff to handle the customer calls. Currently calls are redirected by the City general service to meter or finance sections depending on the nature of the call. Calls related to water leaks, quality and conservation are handled by meter department. All calls related to billing etc. are handled by finance department. There is no dedicated call center at the City for water related calls and there is an opportunity to streamline the call handling process/flow. To minimize the increased call activity in the initial phase of the AMI project, the City should take advantage of the customer portal to provide details to the customers and links to bill payment and other online services that can reduce burden on the call center. Since this is a critical task when implementing AMI, Black & Veatch recommends implementation of customer portal along with the AMI project. 25G-146