ESOURCE WEBINAR

Successful Strategies for Technology Implementation Communications

Learn the key elements of a successful communications campaign strategy, integrating organizational change management for technology implementations, the latest utility customer engagement trends, and ways to measure communication success.

SPEAKERS

Nicole Naassan

Senior Vice President, Delivery, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

SPEAKERS

Nicole Naassan

Senior Vice President, Delivery, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

ESOURCE WEBINAR

Successful Strategies for Technology Implementation Communications

Learn the key elements of a successful communications campaign strategy, integrating organizational change management for technology implementations, the latest utility customer engagement trends, and ways to measure communication success.

SPEAKERS

Mike Hoffman

AMI Program Manager

City of Lawrence

Nicole Naassan

Senior Vice President, Delivery, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

ESOURCE WEBINAR

Successful Strategies for Technology Implementation Communications

Learn the key elements of a successful communications campaign strategy, integrating organizational change management for technology implementations, the latest utility customer engagement trends, and ways to measure communication success.

ESOURCE WEBINAR

Successful Strategies for Technology Implementation Communications

Learn the key elements of a successful communications campaign strategy, integrating organizational change management for technology implementations, the latest utility customer engagement trends, and ways to measure communication success.

SPEAKERS

Mike Hoffman

AMI Program Manager

E City of Lawrence

Nicole Naassan

Senior Vice President, Delivery, TPIC

E Source

Kierra Thomas

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

Elizabeth Vamos

Senior Consultant, TPIC

E Source

AMI Implementation

Maximize the effectiveness of your technology investments

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We advance business and technology solutions that strategically enhance operations for utilities and their cities. We specialize in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technologies as well as: geographic information systems, customer engagement portals, meter data management systems, and other utility operational systems. Our experienced utility consultants and project managers work as an extension of your team. We use proven processes and analysis tools to implement technologies from start to finish, lowering costs, reducing risk, and improving operations.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) 1.0 was a major advancement for utilities, enabling two-way communication between them and the customers. This allowed for detailed usage information to be shared, which empowered customers and transformed how utilities operated.

AMI 1.0 enables utilities to become proactive rather than reactive, making detecting and responding to power outages easier. It also provides customers with energy usage data, which reduces the number of calls to contact centers and improves billing processes. Additionally, AMI 1.0 streamlines operations, particularly manual tasks like meter reading, and allows staff to expand their skills and explore new roles.

Now, the development of AMI 2.0 builds upon the success of AMI 1.0 and takes utility operations to the next level.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure 2.0

Maximize the effectiveness of your technology investments

Simply put, AMI 2.0 is the next generation of AMI system being deployed by a utility to replace the existing system that is either approaching end of life, or just not providing all the functionality desired. However, as is often the case, the “devil is in the details”! AMI 2.0 is not just meters and software but is also aspirational in nature encompassing far reaching goals that the utility has to improve customer service, use data to make better operating decisions and meet ever increasing environmental expectations and requirements.

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AMI 2.0 involves improvements in:

Develop the business case for your large-scale technology projects

Navigate the procurement and vendor contract negotiations process

Deploy smart grid/smart water/AMI programs

Integrate new systems into your existing technology landscape

Thoroughly test the new systems and their integration with existing systems

Adapt to and realize the full benefits of new technologies through change management and business process design

Design and execute customer engagement and awareness campaigns

Implement a comprehensive benefits-verification program

Maximize the use and value of new data and information introduced by your new technologies

Augment your staff to support your new technologies

Metering with digital meters that are more accurate and can read at lower resolutions and include more powerful computing capabilities

AMI communications networks that transmit more data from the meters faster and more frequently

AMI software systems that provide an improved user experience and can be more easily integrated with other utility systems to make sure AMI data gets to the right systems at the right time to provide better overall operations efficiency and customer service

Why E Source?

E Source stands ready to support you in your AMI 2.0 journey. We have the skills and resources to address all aspects of an AMI 2.0 implementation project from initial assessment/business case, through procurement, planning, testing and full deployment. We have the experience and know how to implement successfully and see the added benefits that an AMI 2.0 system can provide!

The E Source Advantage

Steps to Take in an AMI 2.0 Journey

The E Source Advantage identifies the project steps and highlights the inherent dependencies between people, processes, and technology.

We employ a vendor-agnostic approach to procurement—we’ve worked with every major AMI vendor. We use a proven methodology designed to minimize risk while achieving complete system functionality as early as possible in the project. This strategy allows you to work with each project stakeholder to:

Identify and address issues

Test the necessary interfaces with other systems

Design, develop, and test the future-state business processes before spending a lot of money on full system deployment

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Our projects were high-cost investments that would literally be impacting every home or business for decades to come. E Source helped ensure our investment provided the intended outcome.

Chris Garner,

Long Beach Water Department

E Source communications and public relations expertise was invaluable in our planning efforts. Our project communication plan has been greatly enriched by our collaboration with them.

Jennifer Tavaglione,

Senior Project Manager, Riverside Public Utilities

E Source has been an incredible partner for us throughout all phases of our AMI implementation.They have the ability to provide expertise in all aspects of an implementation, consisting of business case development, project management, technology integration, and meter deployment

André Pedeferri,

TPU

The steps a utility should take in implementing an AMI 2.0 system are similar to those taken to implement the first generation AMI 1.0 system with some subtle and yet very important differences. We’ll walk through the five implementation steps along with the important differences from previous implementations for each step.

Assessment

The utility must analyze whether to adopt AMI 2.0 or stick with the current system. If the current system is reliable, the decision depends on the benefits of AMI 2.0. AMI 1.0 justified the switch through cost savings, but AMI 2.0 requires detailed analysis of additional use cases and vendor demonstrations. Identifying benefits and their value is essential for comparing costs.

Vendor Selection/Procurement/Contract Negotiations

When choosing AMI 2.0 vendors, consider advantages of familiarity and technology alignment. Define system needs through requirements development. First-generation mesh networks may not meet AMI 2.0 functionality requirements. Another trend is a turn-key approach and cloud-based agreements for meters, system, and installation. Successful contract negotiations should support the ongoing vendor relationship.

Initial Phase Implementation and Testing

Implementation planning is crucial for the success of first-generation AMI systems, particularly mesh networks. Utilities aim to maintain existing systems and data while installing AMI 2.0 replacements, which can pose challenges with mesh networks. To ensure flexibility in meter deployment, it is vital to establish the AMI 2.0 communications network before the meters. Utilizing an existing cellular network simplifies this process, but regardless of the network chosen, it should be in place prior to deployment.

Implementation Planning

During the implementation plan, begin with a small meter deployment in an Initial Deployment Area (IDA) to test AMI system functionality, system integration, and business process changes. Include different meter types and sizes within the IDA to assess system functionality comprehensively. Additionally, consider placing meters in challenging locations to test system and network communications effectiveness. Testing the advanced functionality of AMI 2.0 is crucial to ensure the project's benefits can be fully realized.

Full Deployment

Carefully proceed with full deployment, ensuring the AMI 1.0 system remains functional. Address mesh breaks promptly and establish a field inspection plan for meter locations. Deployment may be faster than before due to utility experience and efficient installation crews.

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