Advanced Meters

Meter Upgrade for Zeeland BPW Customers:

As part of our commitment to continuously provide quality service and reliability to you, Zeeland Board of Public Works is installing an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system to read all the electric and water meters in our Zeeland service territory. This system requires the replacement of most of the electric and water meters on our system. This upgrade is being done at no additional cost to our customers.

Benefits of Advanced Meters to Our Customers:

This new advanced metering infrastructure will help us improve:

Reduced outage time: Early detection and reporting of outage leads to even more efficient response time.
Access to your account: With AMI and our new online customer portal, MyMeter, customers will be able to monitor their hourly usage and adjust their consumption during the month before they receive their bills.
Increased privacy: Advanced meters increase privacy and convenience by nearly eliminating the need for a ZBPW meter reader to visit homes.
Greater reading accuracy: Advanced meters are extremely accurate and reliable.
Innovative technology: Modernized equipment that paves the way towards providing customers even more benefits.

Benefits of Advanced Meters to Zeeland BPW:

This new advanced metering infrastructure will help us improve:

Reliability: We’ll receive more detailed load and energy consumption with faster outage notifications that will allow us to improve our distribution system and response time, helping us create a more reliable system.
Quality: Advanced meters will allow us to troubleshoot potential quality issues before they become a concern.
Savings: We’ll see some cost savings by being able to generate utility bills more efficiently. This helps us stay a low-cost, public power provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Zeeland BPW upgrading meters?

The new advanced meter system will provide our electric and water customers with many important benefits including remote meter reading, early detection and reporting of outages, and even more efficient response times. Advanced meters also allow our customers to watch their usage details through our new online customer portal, MyMeter, to assist in making conscience decisions regarding usage due to the hourly readings.

What is AMI?

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) provides two-way communication between the meter and Zeeland BPW.

When will my meter be replaced?

The electric meter upgrade project begins February 2022 and will take 4-6 months to complete. Water meters are to follow in 2023. You will be notified a couple of weeks prior to the installation team entering your neighborhood.

Will my power be interrupted during the installation?

You will experience a brief power outage when we replace the meter, however, it will be no longer than a few minutes.

Who will be installing the upgraded meter?

Allegiant Utility Services is a certified and approved advanced meter installation company. Their installers will be driving vehicles labeled with Allegiant Utility Services as well as our Zeeland BPW logo. The installers will also have ID cards to verify their identity.

How will I know when the meter has been upgraded?

Where possible, a door tag will be left behind indicating the meter exchange has happened. Should there be any issues with changing your meter, it will be noted on the door tag with directions on what to do next.

Will my bill be impacted?

We are pleased to provide advanced meters to our customers at no additional cost. Therefore, you will not receive any fees related to your meter upgrade. Because of the change from manual reading to remote reading, you may notice a change on your first bill following your meter upgraded.

Please know:
This will only occur on the first invoice after your meter is upgraded. You will not be billed for any more or any less usage than actually consumed.

Additional Resources

Advanced Meters – Myths vs Facts