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216 Cha pte r T h i r tee n

collecting more granular data in this manner, these AMR systems utilize capabilities to
better address customer billing complaints, quickly identify plumbing leaks, and assist
water conservation and loss control efforts.
Data-logging capability for individual customer meters has existed for many years. The
first commercial data-logger was designed to attach to an individual customer meter and
log pulses from the meter register, thus allowing a detailed profile to be developed (see
Chap. 12, Figs. 12.4 and 12.5). Individual data-loggers are now available with communica-
tion capabilities similar to those of fixed network AMR systems, and are cost-effective in
applications where the business case for full-scale AMR is not yet justified. One example is
a small, rural water utility with good success from manual meter reading, but operationally
challenged by five large concentrated animal feeding facilities that account for a significant
amount of the total customer consumption. Stand-alone data-loggers and communication
systems on these five accounts could give the water utility detailed consumption profiles on
these significant customers at a relatively minor expense to the water utility. Some water
utilities have even negotiated contracts with such large users to sell them detailed profile
data on a monthly basis to give the customer information to better manage their water
demand, while generating additional revenue for the water utility.
With meter readings taken at close intervals a typical consumption profile can be gen-
erated to show the variation in customer consumption throughout the day. A profile gener-
ated by a data-logging fixed network AMR system is shown graphically in Fig. 13.14. As

Hourly Consumption Graph

Time Period : Nov 22, 07 00:00 through Nov 22,07 23:00 Utility : -
Customer Name : - Cycle : 05
Address : - Route : 36
Meter ID : 2912581 Peak hourly consumption of 70 gal was recorded on Nov 22, 07 08:00 Sequence : 002285
Total consumption recorded for the period was 320 gal
70
70
60
50 50
50
40
30 30
30
20 20 20
20
10 10 10
10
0
0
0
0 01:00 0 02:00 0 03:00 0 04:00 05:00 0 06:00 0 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 0 19:00 0 20:00 0 21:00 22:00 23:00
0
Hours
00:00 11/2 207
Firefly Reading : 0000112316 as of Dec 11,07 00:00 RR AMR Version : -
Installer : - Graph Date/time : Dec14, 07 07:51
Reader : -
FIGURE 13.14 Consumption profi le derived from data-logging AMR system showing daily variation
in water consumption for a typical residential customer. (Source: City of McKinney, TX, and
Datamatic.)