Better manage outages, service calls, distribution system maintenance, and the customer experience with Advanced Metering Infrastructure solutions from Hometown Connections.
AMI for Public Utilities
Better manage outages, service calls, distribution system maintenance, and the customer experience with Advanced Metering Infrastructure solutions from Hometown Connections.
AMI doesn’t have to be costly and complex. Hometown Connections offers a scalable, lower risk, and cost-effective AMI pathway to make it accessible to all community-owned utilities by deploying best-of-breed infrastructure (meters, wireless communications, applications, systems integrations) through a turnkey managed service.
For Ephrata, Pennsylvania, the AMI solution has led to improved efficiencies in billing because AMI eliminates manual meter readings and data entry errors.
– Case Study of Ephrata AMI Solution
Benefits of Advanced Metering Infrastructure
The solution from Hometown Connections enables community-owned utilities of all sizes to secure the many benefits of AMI.
Reduce Costs
- Reduce costs and improve efficiency by automating meter reads, service connects and disconnects
- Increase accuracy of meter reads and billing data, using smart meters and software to capture lost sales revenue
- Eliminate misreads from hard-to-access customer locations
Advanced Monitoring
- Remote monitoring of the status of meters, transponders, switches, and other equipment across the distribution system
- Provide early identification of leaks and meter tampering/theft
Communication and Customer Service
- Give customer service representatives on-screen access to detailed usage data to resolve complaints more quickly
- Improve communication between utilities and customers through automated inbound and outbound messaging, as well as web portal access to system data
- Provide pay-as-you-go options to customers
- Provides smart city options such as smart lighting, microgeneration, electric vehicles, voltage control, and transformer load and health monitoring
Features
The Hometown Connections AMI solution adheres to the requirements of a smart grid future.
Hometown’s AMI solution focuses on open standards, incorporating technology with over 27 million endpoints deployed.
Industry leading authentication, authorization, and accountability through the assignment of unique AES-256 encrypted security keys to each and every Wide Area Network or Field Area Network element, and the ability to rapidly identify, isolate, and change network security keys to network elements if any compromise is suspected.
Hometown’s AMI solution features commercially proven capabilities of over-the-air firmware upgrades to all metering end points.
The distributed architecture can support millions of network elements. Additional network infrastructure can be added easily to increase the net effective bandwidth of the network in a given area. If certain service delivery points require greater bandwidth, they can be selectively changed with minimum reconfiguration effort and minimal impact on overall network operation.
Components are utility-grade, proven to endure for years in extreme utility environments and weather conditions. The AMI mesh network is self-configuring and self-healing, so no single element failure can bring down the entire system.
Your Partner for Advanced Metering Infrastructure
Hometown Connections, Inc. program offering lower risk and cost-effective deployment of advanced metering infrastructure plus hosting and operation-managed services
Additional Benefits to Community-Owned Utilities
The Hometown Connections AMI solution offers unique benefits to community-owned utilities:
- Ability to scale up the system size over time
- Ability to purchase meters from a variety of vendors: System supports Itron, Aclara/GE, L+G, Honeywell-Elster, Master Meter, Badger, Neptune, Hersey, AMCO, and more
- Savings through aggregated wholesale purchasing of meters, network equipment, applications
- Support for the AMI deployment at all levels: project design, project management, customer outreach, and presentations to utility leadership
- No head-end system or software upgrade charges
- Data protection from the industry’s best cybersecurity
- Integration with any billing, SCADA, outage management, or other utility information system (new or legacy) with integration support
Advanced Metering Solutions News
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Former AMP Executive Marc Gerken Appointed Interim HCI President & CEO
Learn More: Former AMP Executive Marc Gerken Appointed Interim HCI President & CEOThe Hometown Connections, Inc. (HCI) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Marc Gerken as interim president and chief executive officer. Gerken will fill the seat vacated by Tim Blodgett who, after 23 years with HCI, announced he would be leaving at the end of the year.
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Branndon Kelley Brings Utility Technology Management Expertise To Hometown Connections Board of Directors
Learn More: Branndon Kelley Brings Utility Technology Management Expertise To Hometown Connections Board of DirectorsA visionary leader of public power technology management, Branndon Kelley of American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) has joined the Board of Directors of Hometown Connections, Inc. AMP is one of six joint action agencies that co-own Hometown Connections. Mr. Kelley is AMP’s Senior Vice President of Technology & Chief Information Officer and AMP’s representative on the…
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Hometown Connections Soliciting AMI Managed Solution Proposals
Learn More: Hometown Connections Soliciting AMI Managed Solution ProposalsHometown Connections, Inc. has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the acquisition of an additional advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution and/or meter data management system (MDMS) to add to our suite of products and services and provide expanded options to public power utilities. Hometown envisions that a community-owned utility or joint action agency may…
