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This paper explores how staff ideas coalesced into a vision for higher standardsof billing accuracy and water consumption information for Toronto water customers, inorder to help them manage their use of water. Initial investigations into the benefits anddrawbacks of automated meter reading (AMR) began in the late 1990s, but it was not until2005 that the City was able to confirm its business case and proceed with the project.Initial efforts in this area were delayed due to preparations for Y2K, in order to ensurethat customer billing would not be interrupted or corrupted by technology malfunction.Shortly thereafter, the cities and metropolitan services of the Region of Toronto wereamalgamated into the new City of Toronto. Harmonization of customer servicesthroughout the amalgamated city gave rise to a Universal Metering Project to installwater meters for approximately 80,000 accounts. Differences in metering practicesrequired bylaw changes to provide uniform definition of meter ownership, harmonizationof rates, and agreed direction for meter performance.A business case for City-wide meter replacement and implementation of an AMR systemwas prepared in 2001-2002. It recommended the use of a fixed radio system to read themeters. Counterbalancing this analysis was the then-predominate use of touchpads anddrive-by radio systems for water meters across North America. At the same time, theProvince of Ontario was embarking on a new "smart" metering program for electricservice. All of these factors combined meant that City staff had to wait before embarkingon wholesale water meter replacement, persevering with its vision for better customerservice while waiting for the technology and metering situation to clarify.More than five years after beginning the process, the City of Toronto was finally be able tovalidate its business case and proceed with AMR in 2005. This paper exploresthe many factors and decisions involved this long, interactive process to provideexcellent customer service in the face of political, technological, and market change. Includes tables, figure.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 06/01/2007 Number of Pages: 45File Size: 1 file , 880 KB