SPOKANE, WA, Jan. 9, 2007 -- Itron Inc. announced today that is has signed a subcontract to provide the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) with Itron's advanced Water Fixed Network. The contract also includes ServiceLink, Itron's wireless automated dispatching/communications solution, to manage field operations more efficiently by eliminating paperwork in the field.
Itron's Water Fixed Network (WFN) combines high-powered two-way endpoints, network collectors with flexible backhaul options, and a robust data collection engine that takes fixed network technology for meter reading at water utilities beyond simple monthly consumption data. WFN can collect daily water meter readings and, through its powerful data logging functionality, even more granular consumption data that can be used for resource management and conservation programs.
More than 275,000 water endpoints will be deployed in the City of Detroit, allowing DWSD to be proactive in detecting water leaks behind the meter, alleviating large bills for unused water and associated billing disputes.
"DWSD will see benefits from Itron's Water Fixed Network system in a number of ways including increased revenues (due to leak detection and elimination of billing errors), operational savings from reading more meters in a shorter amount of time with less people, improved cash flow from moving to monthly billing and savings from encouraging our customers to conserve," said Victor Mercado, director of DWSD. "We also expect to see additional benefits as we gain experience with running the system and obtaining on-demand and interval data reads, along with the collection of data."
"Our customers want us to eliminate estimated reads and we want to reduce special meter reads that create additional trips for our meter readers." Mercado said. "With two-way communication, we can program meters without leaving the office."
"The opportunity at Detroit is exciting because you have a city that is using technology to provide its customers with exceptional performance, accuracy and customer service," said Malcolm Unsworth, senior vice president, hardware solutions. "Itron's water fixed network provides Detroit with advanced, two-way communication for streamlined meter reading and leak detection that will enable Detroit to improve efficiency and maintain flexibility for future growth."
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (www.dwsd.org) pumps an average of 675 million gallons of water per day to more than four million people in 126 communities within its service area. DWSD is the third largest water and sewer utility in the United States, with a rich history in public utility service dating back to the early 1800s. The 1,071 square-mile water service area, which includes Detroit and 125 suburban communities, makes up approximately 43 percent of the state's population. The utility operated the largest single-site wastewater treatment facility in the country. DWSD is a branch of the City of Detroit government.
Itron (www.itron.com) is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. Nearly 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron's award-winning technology to provide the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron creates value for its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for electricity metering; meter data collection; energy information management; demand response; load forecasting, analysis and consulting services; distribution system design and optimization; web-based workforce automation; and enterprise and residential energy management.
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Also see: "Tacoma Public Utilities selects Itron Water Fixed Network for automatic meter reading"
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