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HomeMy WebLinkAboutD-3. AMI Project AMI Meter Opt Out PolicyUB-32 APPROVED UTILITY BOARD 09/24/2018 systems. To date, ALW has completed the installation of 348 electric AMI meters (327 of these meters are APU student housing) and 72 water AMI meters. To date, ALW has not received any inquiries or requests from customers pertaining to opting out of the AMI meter installations. In taking a proactive position on this subject, ALW has developed an AMI policy to provide customers with the opportunity to opt-out of the two-way radio communication functionality of the AMI meters. Upon installation of the AMI meters, the two-way communication RF will be disabled for customers that elect to opt-out of AMI. The disabling of this feature will prevent communication with the meters and require ALW staff to continue manually obtaining reads on the meters for billing purposes. Also, staff would be required to physically disconnect service in the event of non-payment instead of electronically disconnecting the customer remotely, which would increase costs and reduce the expected benefit of the AMI program. ALW is proposing the following fees to recover expenses associated with i) disabling the meter RF radios; ii) reprogramming the billing system to accommodate opt-out customers; and iii) manually read opt-out customer meters each month: 1. A one-time set up charge in the amount of $75.00 to be billed on the residential customer account for each disabled two-way radio communication meter located at the property. The fee applies to each individual disabled two-way radio communication water and electric meter on the premises. 2. A monthly Opt-out Customer Charge for water and electric service of $10 per month for each disabled two-way radio communication metered service located at the property. 3. A reduced Opt-out Customer Charge for water and electric service of $5 per month for low-income qualified customers. The documentation and requirements for eligibility in the ALW’s low-income customer program shall apply to this reduced Opt-out Customer Charge. Below is a comparison of one-time and on-going monthly fees that are currently being assessed by utilities that have implemented AMI projects: Utility One-Time Fee Monthly Bi-Monthly Azusa Light & Water (Proposed)$75 $10 - Burbank Water & Power $165.30 $20.74 - Glendale Water & Power $55 - $34 Southern California Edison $75 $10 - The cost of ALW providing the recommended opt-out service is estimated to be similar to Southern California Edison Company and is competitive with other local utilities. UB-33 FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions because the revenue collected from the fees would be allocated to the corresponding Water and Electric Funds to recover the costs associated with the recommended opt-out program. Prepared by: Reviewed and Approved: Alicia Holmes Manny Robledo Acting Assistant Director Director of Utilities Customer Care & Solutions Reviewed and Approved: Sergio Gonzalez City Manager Attachments: 1) Exhibit A – Schedule AMI 2) Exhibit B – AMI Opt-Out Form UB-34 Exhibit “A” SCHEDULE AMI ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM OPT-OUT CHARGE Applicability: This schedule is applicable to residential customers who elect to opt-out of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) radio communication meter functionality. These charges are related to the costs of providing and reading disabled two-way radio communication meters. Territory: Within the City of Azusa utility service area for water and electric service. AMI Opt-out Fees: 1. A one-time set up charge in the amount of $75.00 will be billed on the residential customer account for each disabled two-way radio communication meter located at the property. The fee applies to each individual disabled two-way radio communication water and electric meter on the premises. 2. In addition to the applicable monthly Customer Charge for water and electric service, as the same may be revised from time to time, a monthly fee in the amount of $10 will be billed to the residential account for each disabled two-way radio communication metered service located at the property. The fee will cover the expense of manual meter reading and additional operational activities related to the disabled two-way radio communication meters. 3. In addition to the applicable monthly Customer Charge, for customers who are enrolled in the City’s low-income customer program, a discounted $5 monthly charge will be billed to the residential account for each disabled two-way radio communication metered service at the property. The documentation and requirements for eligibility in the Azusa Light & Water low-income customer program shall continue to apply. Special Conditions: 1) Opt-out requests may only be made by the owner of the property. UB-35 2) Residential customers desiring to opt-out of the AMI radio communication meter functionality must complete an opt-out form within 30 days of being notified of the scheduled AMI meter installation. 3) Residential customers that have experienced meter tampering or manipulation, or have been disconnected for non-payment three times, will not be eligible to opt-out of the AMI meter installation. 4) Residential customers with meters that have historically been difficult to disconnect or obtain a reading for billing purposes will not be eligible to opt-out of the AMI meter installation. Meter locations will be evaluated by Azusa Light & Water staff for eligibility. 5) Commercial, Industrial and Solar customers shall not be eligible to opt-out of the AMI installation. 6) Multi-unit dwellings with homeowner and condominium associations may not collectively opt-out of AMI meter installations on behalf of individual residents who are members of the association. Individual residents who are owners of their residences and have individual connections for water and/or electric service may submit a request a for disabled two-way radio communication meter service pursuant to the requirements set forth herein. UB-36 AMI Opt-Out Request Form ACCOUNT # CUSTOMER NAME SERVICE ADDRESS CITY ZIP PHONE E-MAIL ADDRESS DO YOU OPERATE LIFE SUPPORT OR OTHER SENSITIVE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IN YOUR HOME?* Yes No ANY METER ACCESS ISSUES?* Yes No PLEASE INDICATE ANY IMPEDIMENTS TO ACCESSING YOUR METER, I.E. LOCKED GATE, DOG, ETC.* Terms & Conditions * I agree that I am a named, authorized person on the customer account number provided above. Further, I am indicating that I want to opt out of the AMI meter two-way radio communication functionality. If I move my residence and remain an opt-out customer, I will need to submit a new opt-out form providing my new address and understand that the one time initial set up charge will apply to the first bill at my new residence. By opting out, I understand that all AMI enabled services, including energy alerts and any other AMI program offerings, will no longer be available to me, and I thus agree to forfeit these services and benefits. EXHIBIT B UB-37