Advanced Metering Infrastructure Could Be Coming to San Jose

San Jose Water announced last week that it had filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to deploy Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) throughout its service area.

AMI technology includes advanced meters that can take up to hourly readings daily, along with a data transmission system to provide water usage information to customers in near real time. Currently, meter reads are performed manually and are provided to most customers once every two months as part of their bill.

The filing comes on the heels of a successful pilot study completed earlier this year, which showed significant customer benefits of the AMI program, including 24-hour access to water usage data, early leak detection, and timely notification of usage spikes. In addition to enhancing customers’ access to water use information, AMI has been shown to encourage more efficient use of water and preserve water resources, supporting statewide initiatives to drive water conservation.

“California is still feeling the impact of our most recent severe drought. And, the reality of future droughts has changed the way people think about water,” stated Andrew Gere, President and COO of San Jose Water. “Customers want to know how they can manage their water consumption. AMI is a critical investment in our infrastructure that aligns with our goals of environmental stewardship and innovation as a solution. This technology would allow customers to more effectively monitor and control their usage and preserve valuable water resources – while complying with new state conservation standards and minimizing our carbon footprint.”

San Jose Water’s filing requests an implementation schedule that would complete installation by the end of 2024. Operation of these meters is intended to begin by January 2025 to coincide with the anticipated enforcement of the new urban water efficiency standards. AMI deployment by San Jose Water is subject to CPUC review and approval.