Article: Preventing Premature AMR Utility Meter Replacement

By Sol Jacobs, Tadiran Batteries

The current economic climate is impacting the utility industry, as reduced economic activity is dampening revenue growth. In response, utility managers must aggressively seek out ways to cut costs by increasing productivity, cost efficiencies, and accelerating billing cycles in order to improve cash flow. Over the long-term, these efforts will lead to expanded use of AMR/AMI technology, which offers unmatched potential for enhancing reducing overhead and administrative costs while enhancing reporting capabilities.

Over the short term, however, AMR device manufacturers find themselves under increased pressure to prove to increasingly budget-restrained utility managers that the initial investment costs associated with installing an advanced AMR/AMI system will be justified by long-term cost savings and productivity enhancements. This requires practical demonstrations that the theoretical benefits of AMR technology will actually translate into reality, which can often be problematic, as the full value proposition of AMR technology is not always being fully realized.