• Print
• Email

Case Study: City of Wooster, OH

Service Connections: 9,600 | Population: 26,540 | Meter Reading System: Aclara AMI

Highlights

• Improved the City's ability to identify leaks and rapidly notify customers
• Reduced customer support calls
• Delivers useful data for managing the water system
• Gives customers more control over their water consumption.

Case Study: City of Wooster, OH (PDF)

 

City of Wooster - The Heart of Central Ohio

Located about fifty miles south and west of Cleveland, the City of Wooster is the county seat of the 13th largest county in Ohio (Wayne County). The City's Utilities department employs thirty-five people and provides water, sewer, trash and storm sewer services to a population of approximately 26,540.

Wooster has been using Aclara's fixed base, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system since 1999. They were the company's third AMI customer. They host their own Network Control Computer (NCC) and maintain 14 Data Collector Units (DCUs).

The City's AMI deployment was an involved, two-year project because the majority of water meters were located inside customer homes. To complete the installation, employees had to schedule customer visits, most of which were after working hours. With each visit, staff would replace the meter and install a radio transmitting unit.

 

 

Goals for a Consumer Engagement System

In late 2015, utility staff started evaluating consumer engagement solutions. They were looking for an employee and customer-friendly system that would:

• Improve their ability to catch leak events more quickly and alert customers
• Prevent customers from receiving unexpectedly high water bills
• Allow them to proactively monitor customer accounts without adding additional staff.

They reviewed several solutions ultimately selecting AquaHawk.

"We picked AquaHawk because the leak detection capabilities were better," noted Darrell Moser, the City's Accounts Receivable Manager. "The system uses algorithms tailored to each account to identify leaks. This was different than the protocol used by other applications that flag leaks when accounts have exceeded a hardcoded value...say 20% above average daily consumption."

"AquaHawk also includes an integrated messaging system," he pointed out. "Our employees can efficiently contact customers by automated phone call, text message, or e-mail. The application tracks everything from start to finish. We also liked the fact that AquaHawk monitors potential leaks for all of our accounts, even if they haven't yet subscribed to the service," he added.

		We picked AquaHawk because the leak detection capabilities were better.
		-- Darrell Moser, Accounts Receivable Manager

 

Useful Data for the Engineering Department

In addition to leak detection, the City leveraged other analytics capabilities in the application. "We started tracking the amount of water being pumped into specific zones and compared that to demand-side sales," Mr. Moser shared. "By tracking apparent water loss by zone on a daily basis, we can monitor changes that may indicate leaks when plant pumping volumes increase."

 

Accommodating Complex Meter Configurations

Meter configurations for most utilities are very simple: one account is linked to one water meter. Wooster's situation is more complex because the City uses compound and inline (subtraction) meters.

For a system to accurately measure consumption on these accounts, it must factor in: how many meters are used, what's being measured (irrigation vs. drinking water) and how the meters are physically installed. The City also bills in thousand gallon increments so the application had to perform rounding.

AquaHawk correctly calculates usage for all of Wooster's meter configurations.

 

Minimizing Customer Support Calls

One of the City's measures for determining if the portal system was successful related to customer service call volume. Employees were asked to compare the number of calls they received prior to implementing AquaHawk, and after.

Staff members reported that overall call volume had dropped. Moreover, because the City was taking a proactive approach and alerting customers to potential leaks, the number of calls from upset clients had also decreased.

"Our team likes the tool because it's very straightforward to use," shared Vince Cicconetti, Utility Accountant. "Those customers we've notified about leaks have been very appreciative."

Prior to implementing the system, the City didn't have the staff to review use data for all its customers. Now, by combining the analytics capabilities of AquaHawk and near real-time consumption data from the AMI system, the utility can provide an enhanced level of service.

 

Concern for Customers is Paramount

Wooster is fortunate to have ample water supplies so there's little need for aggressive water conservation programs. At the same time, if a customer has a leak, the water used is billable.

"We already spend a lot of time dealing with delinquent accounts and shutoffs," Mr. Moser related. "So we asked our organization, 'What can we do to help the majority of our customers who pay on time and don't require much interaction? Can we protect those clients from receiving an additional $200 charge on their bills because a leak ran undetected for hours or days?'"

"AquaHawk was part of the answer. The system gives our users much more control," explained Mr. Moser. "When customers set their own thresholds, the system will automatically monitor their usage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

 

 

Enhancing the Portal Application

The City continues to collaborate with AquaHawk to enhance system capabilities. As an example, utility staff are interested in detecting abnormal low flow for their compound meters.

"If the low side of the meter hasn't moved in three days, and that's not a normal use pattern, alert our staff," suggested Mr. Moser. "These are events we want to track down and repair. Sometimes there's debris in the meters that can be easily cleaned. Other times, the register head needs to be replaced. Occasionally, the customer opened a bypass and forgot to close it."

The utility would also like to track if there's usage on any accounts that have been shutoff or "locked." These situations usually warrant further investigation.

Tracking how water moves through the distribution system is another important goal for Wooster. For example, one of their big industrial users sources water from the utility, and they have a private well. Occasionally if this customer receives a problematic well water test, they immediately transfer to the City's system.

This user can pull 30,000,000 gallons in a month. Without being able to view metrics for a particular zone, this situation can appear to be a leak on the order of 1,000,000 gallons per day.

"The water plant will call public works to confirm that it's really a customer drawing water. Providing this information in a real-time dashboard view would be advantageous."

Wooster would also like to integrate AquaHawk's Mapping and Group Messaging modules. This integration would enable employees to draw a polygon on a Google Map and select a group of accounts. Staff could then send proactive notifications about service outages, maintenance issues, and other useful information to customers. AquaHawk is working with the City to implement this functionality.

 

Summary

"We would definitely recommend AquaHawk to other utilities," affirmed Mr. Moser. "We like that it's a hosted, Web-based application that our IT department didn't have to install, and they don't have to support. The system is very accurate when it comes to identifying abnormal consumption issues."

"We are working to expand our marketing and communication efforts so that more of our customers take advantage of this valuable solution," he added.

 

About AquaHawk Software

AquaHawk™ is an affordable Web-based, customer portal solution that helps water utilities improve customer service and build stronger client relationships. By presenting useful data and actionable information, utility customers have more control over their water consumption and can save money. Utility employees benefit through a reduction in support calls, easier resolution of high bill complaints, and improved operational efficiencies.

- End -

 

Add a comment

• Print
• Email

City of Redmond Improves Operational Efficiency with AquaHawk

Service Connections: 10,000 | Population: 30,000 | Meter Reading System: Aclara AMI

Highlights

• Implemented an automated past due notification program that reduced the number of customer shutoff visits by 30%
• Launched a community outreach program to meet State-mandated water conservation requirements
• Expanded the tools available to employees enabling them to perform day-to-day tasks more efficiently.

Case Study: City of Redmond, OR (PDF)

 

City of Redmond - The Heart of Central Oregon

Redmond is a mid-sized community nestled in Oregon’s High Desert Plateau just east of the Cascade Mountain Range. Known for its progressive and innovative leadership, Redmond enjoys a statewide reputation for its ability to undertake and implement projects and programs that benefit its residents.

The City is located in Deschutes County, one of the top ten fastest growing counties in the U.S. The water utility currently serves a population of 30,000. This is expected to grow to 46,000 by 2025.

Redmond's public works department employs 134 people and provides safe, cost-effective, high quality facilities and services for water, sewer, storm drainage, streets and parks. The City has been using Aclara's fixed base, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system since 2006. They host their own Network Control Computer (NCC) and maintain seventeen (17) Data Collector Units (DCUs).

In early 2015, Redmond deployed AquaHawk™, a user-friendly customer portal application for the purpose of:

• Meeting the community outreach and water conservation requirements mandated by the State
• Enabling customers to directly access and benefit from the data generated by the AMI system
• Helping employees complete routine tasks more quickly and efficiently.

 

Streamlining the Shutoff Notification Process

One problem AquaHawk helped tackle related to managing the shutoff notification process for delinquent accounts. In the past, each month, the City would contact more than 300 customers who had not paid their water bills. Staff members would spend hours manually calling these individuals notifying them that non payment would lead to service suspension.

The process was laborious and employees didn't enjoy doing it. If the customer didn't pay prior to the cutoff date, the City dispatched field staff to turn off the water.

 

AquaHawk's Group Messaging module offered an alternative that helped automate this process. Now, utility billing provides a list of past due accounts every month and telephone contact information. AquaHawk calls each customer, speaks a utility-customized message, and outlines payment options.

What previously took hours for employees to administer, is now accomplished in minutes, automatically, by the application. Employees are also relieved they no longer have to manage this not-so-enjoyable activity.

Josh Wedding, City of Redmond's Water Operations Manager commented, "This capability has been huge for us and probably reduced the number of customers we actually have to visit, by 30%. Reducing 'truck rolls' not only saves the City money, but it allows us to utilize employees for preventative maintenance and higher value water work."

Interestingly, many customers have responded positively. "City Hall routinely receives calls from customers saying 'thanks for the notice, I simply forgot to pay,'" noted Mr. Wedding.

		Finding meters that are missing reads or are running backwards is much easier in AquaHawk. Prior to using the system, we had no idea how many short and long term leaks our customers were experiencing.
		-- Josh Wedding, Water Operations Manager, City of Redmond

Simple Efficiency Improvements Add Up

AquaHawk provides a comprehensive set of time-saving tools that improve staff members' abilities to conduct daily operations. "Finding meters that are missing reads or are running backwards is much easier in AquaHawk," said Mr. Wedding. "And prior to using the system, we had no idea how many short and long term leaks our customers were experiencing. Analytic processes in AquaHawk find problems we might otherwise miss. Through the built-in notification system, we have sent thousands of text messages and e-mails, and made automated calls alerting our users, in the communication mode they prefer."

Mr. Wedding described a very unique leak situation they recently discovered. "One of our customers operates a pizza parlor, and we alerted him to high usage. The owner wasn't able to find the problem so we made a 'house call.'

Our crew discovered a broken shutoff valve in an asphalt area near the business. The owner wouldn't have been able to locate the leak because there was no visible surface water. It was a bizarre occurrence and the owner was thankful we found it."

Another feature employees use regularly is called "QuickLinks." If a staff member is reviewing an account in AquaHawk and wants to cross check information in the Aclara NCC (headend), he simply clicks a button titled "Star" and is transferred to that customer's account.

Links to other software systems such as utility billing, meter data management (MDM), Google Maps, and work order management can be configured too.

Adapting AquaHawk to Meet Redmond's Needs

One valuable attribute of the AquaHawk system is that it has been architected to support the addition of new features and capabilities. The Redmond team wanted to reduce the amount of time it took their field staff to notify the utility billing department when a meter had been changed, and to eliminate manual data entry errors.

AmCoBi collaborated with the City to define and develop a new Meter Change Out module. Employees can now enter data about the meter swap directly into AquaHawk, the use data is updated immediately, and utility billing is notified automatically.

 

Meeting State Sponsored Conservation Requirements

One of the main reasons Redmond started exploring consumer engagement solutions was to meet community outreach requirements mandated by the State of Oregon. As part of its Water Conservation Plan, the City had committed to making water usage data available to customers.

"It's very important to get information into the hands of consumers," Mr. Wedding pointed out. "When they have access, they can see how much water they're using and they're more likely to engage in conservation and efficiency efforts. It also enables customers to benefit directly from our AMI investment."

Tracking conservation results is a simple process in AquaHawk. Mr. Wedding explained, "I can easily see who our largest water users are and trend their consumption. I can quickly view water consumption totals for all residential or commercial accounts, and a variety of subgroups. The utility dashboard closely fits how our organization manages data."

 

Evaluating Customer Portal Solutions

When the City considered deploying a consumer engagement solution, several characteristics were important to their organization. "Customer usability and security were big factors for us," explained Mr. Wedding. "Price was important too."

"All the vendors we reviewed offered solid products. What made AquaHawk standout is that it more closely aligned with the way we manage system data. The application was able to integrate data from: utility billing, the AMI system, and radios that store either hourly or six-hour reads."

"During our reference checks, we heard very positive feedback from AmCoBi's existing clients. We had high expectations going into this project. And our staff has been very impressed with the level of responsiveness and attentive support that the AquaHawk team has delivered…during the implementation and afterwards."

 

Evolving AquaHawk Capabilities

"We appreciate the way AmCoBi listens to ideas from its clients and incorporates those suggestions into the system so that all utilities can benefit," Mr. Wedding acknowledged. "As far as new features, we'd like a mapping capability where we can visually see the status of meters and data collectors in the field. If we could use this map to select a group of accounts and send them an alert when there's a main break or a service outage, that would save us a lot of time. Our staff wouldn't have to physically knock on doors and hang door hangers."

AmCoBi expects to release this capability in the next few months.

- End -

About AquaHawk Software

AquaHawk™ is an affordable Web-based, customer portal solution that helps water, electric, and gas utilities improve customer service and build stronger client relationships. By presenting useful data and actionable information, providers can reduce routine support calls, easily resolve high bill complaints, and give customers more control over how they use utilities.

 

Add a comment

• Print
• Email

AquaHawk Helps City of Woodland Water Customers Understand their Consumption

The City of Woodland has released an easy-to-use online tool to help people and business owners better understand and manage their water use at a time when summer temperatures are rising.

This free service, AquaHawk, allows Woodland water customers to view their hourly water use, receive alerts when there is abnormal use on their account, and more, according to Jordan Power, city water conservation coordinator.

Read the full article here.

 

 

Add a comment

• Print
• Email

Service Connections: 21,524 | Population: 78,000 | Meter Reading System: Sensus FlexNet™ AMI

Highlights

• Dramatically reduced daily potable water use and irrigation consumption during 2014 resulting in a lower State mandated water conservation standard (12%) than other neighboring districts for 2015. Easily meeting that standard
• Reduced the number of accounts receiving excess usage penalties from 1009 to 65
• Implemented a consumer engagement solution and enrolled more than 7,675 accounts--nearly 40% of their customer base.

Case Study: Dublin San Ramon Services District (PDF)

Dublin San Ramon Services District - Crossroads of the Tri-Valley Area

Located east of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco, Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) serves the City of Dublin and parts of San Ramon, CA. Through 21,524 connections, the District provides potable water, recycled water, and sewer services to businesses, commercial users, and 78,000 residents.

Dublin has been one of the fastest growing cities in Alameda County for the past several years. When fully built out, the number or water and sewer connections could double.

The District gets water from Lake Oroville, groundwater, and local runoff impounded at Lake Del Valle. The organization has historically been very progressive in protecting and conserving its water resources. For example, in 2002, DSRSD built a wastewater recycling plant that produces treated water for landscape irrigation in: parks, schools, the Dublin Ranch Golf Course, and large common areas at residential and commercial developments.

The District has added new distribution lines and pump stations to improve the reliability of water delivery. DSRSD operates a comprehensive acoustic leak detection program to identify and repair distribution line leaks, and regularly invests in potable water pipe refurbishment and replacement.

 

Proactively Responding to the California Drought

Long before the Governor of California mandated statewide water cutbacks requiring that all suppliers reduce their usage by 25%, DSRSD had already ramped up its water savings efforts. Some of the District's water conservation efforts included:

• $3.5 million investment in a fixed-base, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) "smart meter network"
• A free residential recycled water fill station program. (DSRSD was the first water supplier to get approvals required to develop this system)
• Rebates for turf replacement, high efficiency appliances, weather-based irrigation controllers, and pool covers
• Free water saving device giveaways--low-flow showerheads, hose nozzles, and more.

In 2014, well in advance of the State mandates, the District made some tough, and forward looking decisions.

DSRSD put in place mandatory water restrictions. Each residential customer would be allocated 4,480 gallons (600 cubic feet or 6 HCF) of water per week for indoor and outdoor requirements. The District was clear about its goals:

• Reduce overall water use by 25%, compared with their 2013 baseline
• Reduce outdoor irrigation by 50-60%
• Reduce indoor usage by 5%.

The standards also called for decreasing the number of irrigation days to two per week. They expanded and "marketed" their recycled water program. Restrictions were put in place to limit runoff and over-watering. Potable water could no longer be used to wash vehicles, boats, pavement, or building exteriors.

These weren't a set of "toothless" ordinances either. A first offense would earn the customer a warning letter. A second offense would get the account holder a $250 fine. For third and fourth offenses--$500 and $1,000 respectively--you could make a couple of car payments. Continued egregious water consumption could lead to the installation of a flow restrictor or service shutoff.

		This We based our decision to implement AquaHawk in part because it was easy-to-use and affordably priced. But what really got my attention was AmCoBi's customer-driven approach. They were interested in finding out our organization's needs, not just telling us what they thought those needs were.
		-- Vicki Goldman, Customer Services Supervisor, Dublin San Ramon Services District

 Support Before Enforcement

The District didn't just establish these rules and leave customers to fend for themselves. They simultaneously launched the AquaHawk Alerting™ customer portal application which enabled users to: see their water use; receive notifications--text message, e-mail, or phone call--when they were trending to exceed the ordinance limits; and receive proactive alerts if they were experiencing potential leaks.

A Customer Portal Dialed for Drought Management

Vicki Goldman, Customer Services Supervisor, commented that: "Prior to selecting AquaHawk, we looked at several consumer engagement solutions offered by different AMI manufacturers and third parties. They didn’t offer simple ways for our customers to 'pull' information on their own."

"With the mobile drive-by Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system we were using at the time, it was difficult and time-intensive to find information and 'push' it to customers, in order to answer their questions. We need efficient tools because we operate with a very small customer support staff."

"We based our decision to implement AquaHawk in part because it was easy-to-use and affordably priced. But what really got my attention was AmCoBi's customer-driven approach," explained Ms. Goldman. "They were interested in finding out our organization's needs, not just telling us what they thought those needs were. They've been able to tailor their system to meet our specific requirements, and continue to add capabilities that make it a 'one-stop shop' for our customers."

 

Getting Customers to Participate

Nearly 40% of DSRSD's service community has subscribed to the AquaHawk portal. They've accomplished this through a comprehensive outreach program that includes:

• Delivering postcards to customers informing them of the service
• Bill inserts that highlight the portal's capabilities
• Press releases to local media
• Contacting local news affiliates and encouraging them to cover the program. See the CBS SF Bay Area story: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video/2935991-east-bay-water-officials-install-smart-water-meters-to-help-conserve/

"Persistent and frequent communications help us achieve the high registration rates," emphasized Ms. Goldman. "We've invested in these technology tools to help our customers. In almost every outbound communication we make, we mention the service. When customers call our support line, our team takes the time to let them know that AquaHawk is available and what it does. When we're signing up new customers, we not only tell them about it, but in many cases, complete the registration process for them."

 

Spectacular Water Savings Results

The results have been exciting. "We're meeting our 12% drought reduction target for 2015. As of July, our customers have reduced their usage by 34% from our 2013 baseline," reported Ms. Goldman.

"We created so much momentum in 2014 around water savings that our community has carried that forward this year. Customers are sensitive to the issues and are responding."

"With AquaHawk, there's much less arguing with customers about excessive bills. When they do call because they think they haven't used the amount of water documented on their bill, we can use the system to show them when the water was being used and talk to them about things they might do to reduce their next bill."

DSRSD's leak detection and notification program has generated very positive response. "I recently noticed high usage at several schools in our District," she shared. "It was easy and quick for me to send the school contacts an e-mail message notifying them of the situation. They were surprised and thankful that we reached out."

From two sites and 18 pumping stations, the District has given away 9.79 million gallons of recycled water. 2,859 residents signed up for this service and it's a common site to see trucks with large tanks and barrels in the back, driving around the community.

The program was originally open to anyone including people outside of the Tri-Valley. It has been so successful, however, that the utility could not handle the traffic and is currently only issuing new certifications to residents inside the District and from Pleasanton and Livermore.

Initially, the total number of accounts exceeding the water ordinance limits was 1,000. That's down to 200 now, less that 1% of their total customer base.

Preparing for Persistent Drought

Should the drought persist next year, as it appears it may, DSRSD continues to prepare by improving the technology tools available to clients.

To encourage more customers to use AquaHawk, the District is adding features that are unrelated to water consumption. For example, an integrated electronic billing capability is being developed so users can elect to receive e-mailed statements instead of print bills. They'll also be able to view and download past invoices.

They've already completed a single sign-on integration to their online payment provider that allows users to click a button and be automatically logged into the payment site. AquaHawk will transfer any account information, that the customer would otherwise have to type in, to the payment site, including the current balance due amount.

To drive further water savings, ad hoc query capabilities are being added to the database so District employees can review groups of similar users--schools, City assets, commercial businesses, etc.--and conduct comparative water use analyses.

Group messaging capabilities in AquaHawk will enable the District to proactively notify their customers about conservation information, line breaks, shutoff notifications, service interruptions, and other important notices.

- End -

ABOUT AQUAHAWK ALERTING

AquaHawk Alerting™ is an affordable Web-based, customer portal solution that helps water, electric, and gas utilities improve customer service and build stronger client relationships. By presenting useful data and actionable information, providers can reduce routine support calls, easily resolve high bill complaints, and give customers more control over how they use utilities.

Developed by AmCoBi, AquaHawk is a vendor neutral solution that integrates with Sensus FlexNet™, Aclara STAR® Network, KP Electronics MegaNet, Itron ChoiceConnect™, Neptune R450™ and R900®, Badger GALAXY®/ORION, Datamatic, ZENNER Stealth™ and other leading systems.

 

Add a comment