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Meter - About

Who is doing the installations?

Blachly-Lane crews will perform all meter installations. This process is not being contracted out. The people visiting your property for this project will be cooperative employees in marked vehicles.

Communications

We are committed to keeping members informed about this project every step of the way. In addition to this FAQs page, we are sharing this information broadly with members using emails and postcards. Last, members in each area will be notified directly with an automated phone message when work is estimated to begin in their area.

When will this happen in my area?

The upgrade is rolling out in two phases. In summer of 2026, we are replacing 258 meters in the Indian Creek area, our most remote section of the system. In 2027, we will replace the remaining meters across the rest of the system, about 3,456 meters.

What meter is being installed?

The new meter will replace your old meter on a one for one basis in the same meter socket on the outside of your home or business. The new meter uses a Tantalus communication module; the meter itself is sourced from one of several manufacturers the cooperative works with.

Why is Blachly-Lane making this change now?

Our current AMR system is at the end of its useful life. The equipment we use to read and program the meters has been discontinued by the manufacturer, replacement parts are going away, and we are seeing an uptick in AMR meter failures. Making this change now, on a planned schedule, is more responsible to the membership than waiting for the old system to fail.

What is AMI?

AMI stands for Advanced Metering Infrastructure. It is the most commonly used type of electric meter. Like our current Automated Meter Reading (AMR) meters, AMI meters read themselves and send the reading back to the cooperative by radio. The difference is that AMI meters connect through a network of nearby meters rather than being read one at a time by a truck driving past. That network lets us collect reads more often, more reliably, and with better information during outages.