Anyone else seeing issues with Oncor's new smart meter rollout here in Dallas? They've installed AMI meters but the communication system is spotty. When meters can't transmit, they revert to estimation algorithms. I've got 3 clients getting estimated bills despite having "smart" meters that should eliminate this problem. The estimates are way off because the algorithm doesn't account for seasonal business patterns. One restaurant got estimated at summer usage during their slow winter months.
Oncor's new AMI system creating estimation errors
Marcus, AEP Texas is having similar problems here in Corpus Christi. Their AMI system works about 70% of the time. When it fails, they estimate based on "typical usage patterns" which are completely wrong for most businesses. I had a client with seasonal manufacturing get estimated at peak production levels during their 2-month shutdown. $8,000 error over 4 months. The irony is we were promised smart meters would end estimation problems!
Same issues with Evergy here in Kansas. They installed smart meters but haven't fixed their communication towers. Meters collect data but can't transmit it, so billing reverts to estimates. The estimation software uses previous year same month, which doesn't work for businesses with growth or operational changes. I've started recommending clients check their bills for "E" codes indicating estimated reads even with smart meters installed.
NV Energy's AMI rollout in Vegas has been a disaster. Smart meters installed but 30% are still estimating due to communication failures. The worst part? Customer service doesn't understand the difference between meter failure and communication failure. They keep saying "your meter is working fine" when the real problem is data transmission. Had to escalate to engineering level to get accurate readings restored.
Tony, exactly right about customer service confusion. Oncor reps kept insisting the smart meters "automatically prevent estimation" when the real issue is their mesh network coverage. I had to get a written explanation from their AMI department about communication failures causing estimation fallback. Now I include that explanation when disputing estimated bills. Helps customer service understand the technical issue.
Black Hills Energy here in South Dakota promised smart meters would end estimation but they're having similar communication problems. The meters record usage but when transmission fails, they estimate based on the last successful reading. If that was 3 months ago during a different season, the estimates are wildly wrong. I've learned to check for "AMI estimation" codes on bills - different from traditional meter reading estimates.
IPL in Indianapolis admitted their AMI system has a 25% communication failure rate in certain areas. They're estimating smart meter readings! The estimation algorithm is even worse than old-school meter reading because it assumes the meter is being read monthly when it might not have communicated for 3-6 months. Creates compounding errors that are harder to detect and fix.
This AMI estimation problem is industry-wide. NYSEG here in Rochester has similar issues. The solution is better communication infrastructure, but utilities don't want to spend money on that. They'd rather estimate and deal with complaints later. I've started including AMI communication failure language in all my client contracts. Smart meters that can't communicate aren't smart - they're just expensive estimation machines.