City of Sac AMI
CASE STUDY
City of Sacramento’s Application of Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) for
Enhanced Water Conservation Efforts
ISSUE
The City of Sacramento provides water service for 140,000 accounts. Prior to 2009,
36,000 (25%) of water accounts were metered. The City utilized multiple radio based
drive-by technologies for monthly meter data collection. Although sufficient for billing,
these once per month drive-by systems were ineffective at providing detailed
consumption data necessary for leak detection and volumetric trending. In addition, a
large majority of the existing drive-by endpoints were approaching the end of useful life.
An escalation in endpoint failures created substantial operational inefficiencies, as the
failed units required labor-intensive manual reads and repair.
BACKGROUND
In June 2009, the Sacramento City Council approved the implementation of an
Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) system. The deployment of this system allows for
the collection of meter reads wirelessly through a fixed network mesh system. The
system captures volumetric billing and additional short interval data including customer
leaks, meter tampers and spikes in usage. Combined, this information serves as a rich
water efficiency tool to support enhanced water conservation efforts.
The first phase of AMI deployment began in October 2009. The full Citywide
deployment of this technology will take several years to complete. However, the program
was rapidly accelerated in 2010 with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
funding. As a result, 18,000 newly metered water service connections have been fitted
with AMI technology as of December 2010. After the completion of thorough testing,
9,600 connections are currently in production, meaning that active data collection is
occurring and being transmitted to the City’s utility billing system. The remaining
connections will be transitioned into production in phases upon the completion of full
quality assurance testing.
In addition, AMI installations began on the 36,000 legacy drive-by endpoints currently in
production. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2010-11, the City will replace 9,000 existing drive-by
units with AMI technology. In subsequent budget years, 5,000 drive-by to AMI change
outs are scheduled for completion
AMI WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS
As previously indicated, the AMI system includes several leak indicators that trigger
when the endpoint detects predetermined thresholds of continuous water consumption.
The system is configured to send automated work order notifications directly to
operations staff to conduct field investigations to assess and verify system alarms for
leaks, spikes in usage, tampering, or zero consumption.
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Leak Detection Pilot Results
Using a subset of 2,360 active AMI enabled accounts as a pilot group, City staff used
system data to perform field investigations and analyze consumption for customer-side
leaks (isolated on a service line after the point of service or meter). The pilot sample was
restricted to single-family residences (SFR) and geographic areas were selected based on
the age of water distribution infrastructure. The northern section of the City had 8-10 year
old infrastructure and the southern section had 22-30 year old systems. Of the 2,360 SFR
in the pilot, AMI detected leaks in 216 (9%) of the pilot accounts. The overall results
projected aggregate water losses at the 216 SFR of 142,352 gallons (19,031 CF) per
month.
Upon the conclusion of field investigations, tenants and/or property owners received an
informational letter (see Attachment 1) and a tip card offering an invitation for water
conservation services, such as a Water Wise House Call (WWHC) or rebate for high
efficiency toilets and clothes washers. Six months after the completion of the pilot, leak
alarms remained in roughly 33% of the 216 SFR.
PROGRAM RESOURCES
The City has made a substantial staffing and financial investment to ensure the success of
the AMI program. Two AMI co-project managers lead a cross-functional employee
steering team. The team includes personnel from Water Conservation, Meter Reading,
Meter Maintenance, Utility Billing and IT Systems Support. This group works
collaboratively to manage the testing, troubleshooting, training and systems integration
activities necessary for AMI implementation.
As of December 2010, twenty-five (25) meter service routes with AMI mesh technology
were completed. Table 1 details the proposed FY12 budget (subject to City Council
approval) for AMI, water conservation and other related City water resources programs.
Table 1. FY12 Proposed Water Resources Budget
Amount
Category
Labor
-Meter reading support
-Water conservation
Services and Supplies*
Rebates
AMI Program (CIP)
-New Infrastructure
-Replacements
-Maintenance
Leak Detection (CIP)
Description
(in hundred
thousands)
7.0 Full time equivalents
8.5 Full time equivalents (includes seasonal and student
positions)
Equipment and professional services
Includes partial cost share and fully reimbursable State
and local grants.
$420
$492
Hardware and fixed network costs for all new meter
retrofits in City
Includes the testing and replacement of water meters per
AWWA standards
Data and web services, training, technology integrations
Distribution system detection and monitoring
$502
City of Sacramento AMI Case Study
$943
$602
$1,399
$218
$100
2
Meter Retrofit Project (CIP)*
Contracted meter and pipeline replacement construction
projects
TOTAL
$7,500
$12,176
*The City of Sacramento does not currently contract water conservation or metering services. City
contractors typically perform retrofit construction for unmetered areas. A small portion of services
supplies budget is allocated for consulting services related to grant preparation or reporting functions.
ONGOING EFFORTS
The City anticipates the addition or continuation of the following AMI related programs
and services in the next 24 months:
 Redesign of monthly customer Water Conservation Workshops curriculum to
reflect additional emphasis on indoor conservation (toilet repair tips, etc.)
 The creation of an AMI web interface to provide customer access to personalized
small interval consumption data as a tool to manage their individual water
efficiency
 Continuation of customer-side leak investigations and follow up Water Wise
House Call and rebate services
 Creation of additional outreach and incentive programs to encourage repair of
leak fixtures
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ATTACHMENT 1
DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES
CITY OF SACRAMENTO
CALIFORNIA
WATER CONSERVATION
2260 GLEN ELLEN CIRCLE
SACRAMENTO, CA
95822-3634
PH 916-264-5011
FAX 916-808-5655
Date: ____________
Dear Customer:
The Department of Utilities automated water meter read system indicated irregular water use at
____________. Following a visual inspection of the water meter servicing the property by a
Water Conservation Inspector, an approximate water loss of _______ gallons per day has been
estimated.
Irregular use is often an indication of an indoor leak (such as a possible leaky toilet) or outdoor
irrigation system leak (such as a leaky valve). We would like to assist you further in identifying
the reason for the irregular water usage and recommend that you call us to schedule a free Water
Wise House Call. Once the free house call is scheduled, a Water Conservation Inspector will visit
your home or business bringing water-efficient products, tools and information to help evaluate
your system and water use. Recommendations for using water wisely, indoors and out, will also
be provided.
The following table provides a conversion of gallons to cubic feet for the estimated water loss,
based upon the irregular use:
Gallons/Day Loss
Gallons/Month Loss
100
250
400
3,100
7,750
12,400
Cubic Foot (CF) conversion
(gallons divided by 7.48 equals CF)
414.438
1036.096
1657.754
We are here to assist you in identifying ways to save money by saving water. To schedule a free
water wise house call appointment, please call 311 or 916-264-5011.
Sincerely,
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Water Conservation Office
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