Halifax Water, with the support of its customers and project staff, has successfully upgraded 75% of its water meters as part of the largest water meter installation project in its history. The upgraded meters and associated advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technology will benefit every residential and business customer, and fundamentally change the way Halifax Water and its customers interact.
Budgeted at $25.4 million, this project will see approximately 84,000 state-of-the-art water meters installed as part of Customer Connect. Customer Connect is an initiative to upgrade Halifax Water’s water meter technology to better serve our customers.
In the summer of 2017, Halifax Water began the rollout of AMI technology to a few hundred customers. Halifax Water contracted with Neptune Technologies Group, an experienced meter installation vendor, to complete the full deployment. Meter installation for the rest of our customers began in September 2017 and has progressed in phases over the past several years. The water meter installation phase of the project is scheduled for completion later this fall.
Closer to full project completion in 2020, AMI technology will enable two-way digital communication between the utility and its customers increasing customer service and convenience. In the future this would allow customers, if they choose, to track and manage water usage through an online portal. Customer Connect will also enable Halifax Water to provide customers with timelier high consumption information to avoid unexpected high usage bills; reduce the utility’s environmental footprint and fuel costs through decreased vehicle travel; introduce monthly billing; and modernize business processes to improve overall utility efficiency.
In May 2016, Halifax Water filed an application with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) requesting approval of a water meter upgrade project throughout its service area. The NSUARB released a Decision in October 2016 approving Halifax Water’s application.