Advanced metering infrastructure system workshops set for Beaumont, Conroe

COLLEGE STATION – Advanced metering infrastructure system trainings for water utilities are set for July 16 in Beaumont and July 17 in Conroe, said program coordinators.

The Beaumont workshop will be at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1509 Aggie Drive. The Conroe workshop will be at the San Jacinto River Authority, 1577 Dam Site Road.

Both workshops are free, and will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on their respective dates.

Participants should preregister for the event at http://nrt.tamu.edu/ami by July 9. Lunch will be provided to those who preregister by that date. Seating is limited to 45 people.

Dr. Allen Berthold, Texas Water Resources Institute research scientist in College Station, said the trainings are open to municipal employees interested in learning more about various aspects of advanced metering infrastructure, or AMI, system technology. The technology uses water meters to wirelessly transmit hourly household water usage information to water utilities and then potentially to water users through a customer website.

The Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and Johnson Controls Inc. are coordinating the workshops, with the water institute and Johnson Controls presenting. The institute is part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

“Efficient household water use is crucial to meeting Texas’ future water demands,” Berthold said. “Using AMI system technology can help water utilities be more efficient by detecting and managing leaks and encouraging water conservation by residents.”

Craig Hannah, engineering manager for Johnson Controls’ municipal utility solutions team in Amarillo, said training topics include AMI system components, transmitting options, network schematics, mobile automatic meter reading versus fixed-base AMI, line-of-sight communications, comparisons of AMI systems for water-only utilities, health and privacy concerns, and installing AMI. There also will be a discussion of a business case and lessons learned.

“The training will provide public utility providers considering the adoption of an AMI system with different viewpoints and key factors they should consider,” Hannah said.

“Participating in this training is a great opportunity to not only learn about various topics related to AMI systems, but also to network with other utilities and gain some insight into their key considerations and lessons learned,” Berthold said.

Berthold will also present information on a current AMI technology research project being conducted by AgriLife Research, AgriLife Extension, Texas Water Resources Institute and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.

“This project aims to measure changes in water consumption as a result of making hourly water use available to residents,” he said.

The institute and Johnson Controls are presenting a series of these workshops around the state, organizers said. Additional workshops are scheduled for July 23 in Amarillo and July 29 in Mt. Pleasant.

For more information on upcoming workshops and to register, go to http://nrt.tamu.edu/ami or contact Berthold at 979-845-2028, [email protected].