A New Era of Water Management for Orlando Utilities Commission

OUC completed its first deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for water and electric services in 2013, a forward-thinking move at the time. However, a decade later, the AMI water technology had reached the end of its useful life—prompting the utility to rethink its approach.

The decision to work with Badger Meter was made after two years of piloting different types of technologies, including cellular and fixed network systems.

"We had an opportunity to evaluate [several systems] and see the pros and cons," said Charlie Wright, who manages metering and associated field operations. OUC issued two Requests for Proposals (RFP), one for water meters and one for the AMI communications and head-in system. From those, Badger Meter was the selected provider for both.

OUC’s Ambitious Water Management Goals

OUC's Next Generation Water AMI Project comprises several ambitious objectives: to enhance customer service, reduce break-to-fix time for meter/AMI issues, improve data precision and strengthen conservation practices. One of the project’s central drivers is to address challenges with the legacy AMI system and expand capabilities to all customers by leveraging technologies available as part of the Badger Meter BlueEdge™ portfolio.

The new meters and endpoints have eliminated drive-by meter reading for the 28% of water customers who live outside of the electric coverage area, too. Under the old system, water-only customers received only monthly reads, while electric customers with water meters received hourly reads. As a result, OUC has seen increased adoption of water-only customers signing up for online water usage alerts and monitoring.

"The time stamps weren't exactly accurate, and it wasn't to the gallon," Wright said. This disparity in data made it difficult to offer consistent service across OUC’s diverse customer base. "We want to be able to enhance customer service for all of our customers," he said, emphasizing that uniform data sets will enable more accurate, timely information for everyone.

Working with Badger Meter, OUC has chosen to adopt cellular-based AMI technology over fixed network solutions, driven by the need for flexibility.

To date, OUC has installed more than 99,000 Mechanical Disc Meters and HR-E Encoders and more than 156,000 ORION Cellular endpoints. Data collected is transmitted to the BEACON platform, which is fully integrated into OUC’s systems.

At the 92% completion mark for the project, OUC has already reduced meter maintenance activities by more than 40% with the upgrades and installation of cellular endpoints.

“Our water metering backlog of meter and AMI maintenance activities has been reduced by more than 80%, and additional reductions are expected upon completion of deployment activities,” said Eddie Fee, Jr., Director of Meter Services at OUC.

Improved Operations with Cellular AMI

Additionally, cellular AMI technology provides a unique advantage in difficult-to-reach locations, including basement areas in downtown Orlando. In the past, OUC had to send staff to collect data from these hard-to-access locations manually. Now, the utility can capture readings remotely, saving both time and resources. The installation of ORION cellular endpoints has reduced the utility’s metering fleet by 4 vehicles, saving on fuel and reducing the overall carbon footprint of its operations.

"We can satisfy all our water customers without having any [owned] infrastructure," said Fee.

OUC has also updated its portable hydrant meter setup, adding cellular endpoints to existing deployments, thus eliminating the need for these customers to call in their monthly readings. Previously, customers who failed to report readings faced service fees, but with the new technology, OUC can remotely monitor hydrant water use.

"We're reading those, [and it] doesn't matter where it is," Wright explained. "It doesn't have to even be in our service territory." This upgrade enhances convenience and reduces the need for manual intervention, streamlining the process for both customers and OUC.

With the new cellular based AMI system, OUC’s water metering backlog of meter and AMI maintenance activities has improved by more than 80%.

Customer Service and Water Conservation Wins

A significant outcome of the Next Generation Water Project is OUC’s enhanced ability to support water conservation efforts. The utility’s consumptive use permit, or CUP, requires OUC to demonstrate strong conservation practices to justify its water extraction from the Florida aquifer. With new AMI capabilities, OUC can capture data at 15-minute intervals, empowering the conservation team to identify potential leaks or unusual usage patterns. This insight enables proactive outreach to customers, from email and letter notifications to in-person conservation audits.

“We can show the customer how water is being used in their home or commercial facility," Fee noted, allowing them to address issues before they escalate into high bills. “All OUC customers can benefit from water conservation efforts like leak detection analytics,” Fee added.

For traditional audits that get scheduled after a high bill, the unlimited amount of interval data allows OUC’s Conservation team to confidently explain the reason for the high bill and provide insight to help the customer understand how to avoid another high bill in the future. Having this data available is truly a game-changer for the Conservation team. Also, the functionality, accuracy, and reliability of the positive displacement meters have led to a decrease in meter test requests from customers and less skepticism regarding billing accuracy.

The abundance of meter data has also improved the analysis that auditors can provide to OUC chilled water customers regarding how many hours their cooling system ran and to help them reduce their bills.

The Next Generation Water AMI Project is not just about operational improvements; it’s about transforming the customer experience. By investing in advanced technology and innovative solutions, OUC is building a sustainable future for the Orlando community, one that prioritizes conservation, efficiency and exceptional service.