Press Releases
AMI Project Reaches Major Milestone
BPUB’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure project reached a significant milestone, when all systems went live with real production data. The deployment remains on track to be completed in March 2027.
To date, BPUB has installed 52,194 total meters across the service area. That total includes 28,245 electric meters and 23,949 water meters. BPUB has spent $18.3 million of the project budget, and both the water and electric headend systems are operational with the RF mesh network fully deployed across the territory.
Real benefits, real results
AMI is already helping identify issues faster and reduce potential waste. The system detected a critical water leak, indicated by continuous consumption of roughly 700 gallons per hour, and nearly 45,000 gallons were wasted over about 2.5 days before BPUB crews could locate the customer and shut off service to prevent further loss. Without AMI, a leak of that magnitude could have continued for weeks or months before being noticed.
AMI has also improved electric safety response by spotting early signs of a potential “hot socket.” The smart meter detected unusual heat-related electrical activity and automatically triggered an alert so a BPUB technician could investigate.
What customers can expect next
Customers will soon have access to an online portal that shows daily water and electric consumption with 15-minute interval data. This added visibility is designed to help customers make informed decisions about usage while supporting BPUB with automated outage detection, real-time analytics, and improved system monitoring.
The technology behind AMI
Four vendors support the AMI solution. Landis+Gyr provides electric meters that communicate via an RF mesh IP network to the Command Center; Badger Meter provides cellular-enabled water meters; and SmartWorks serves as the unified meter data management platform that aggregates both water and electric data. Allegiant Utility Services is BPUB’s installation partner, handling meter installations and hiring eleven local employees, including water technicians, electrical technicians, and operations staff.
Smart meter installation continues across Brownsville, and customers will soon see Allegiant’s co-branded trucks in their neighborhoods. A brief service interruption may occur during installation, but customers do not need to be home, and a notification letter will be sent before work begins in each area.
For more information, visit www.brownsville-pub.com/projects/bpub-ami-project/ or follow @BPUBOfficial on social media.