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Groves council approves investment-grade audit with Schneider Electric to study automated water meters
Summary
The council approved an agreement with Schneider Electric Buildings America Inc. for an investment-grade audit to identify energy- and water-related conservation measures and to develop a construction-ready plan for automatic meter infrastructure (AMI).
Groves City Council approved an investment-grade audit agreement with Schneider Electric Buildings America Inc. on Aug. 25, 2025 to study replacing city water meters with automatic meter infrastructure and to identify energy-conservation measures that could generate guaranteed savings to fund the project.
City staff and Schneider Electric representatives said the audit will be an engineering phase that identifies the project scope, tests a sample of meters and communication equipment, and produces a construction-ready proposal and cost estimate. Staff said the engagement also includes a lead-and-copper survey the city must complete under its regulatory obligations, which the consultant will perform as part of the audit.
Staff described elements of the process: Schneider Electric will bench-test and verify roughly 200 meters of various sizes to compare accuracy, establish a baseline, and build any accuracy guarantees into a final proposal. The consultant and staff expect to prepare the audit report and a construction pricing package within a few months, then return to council with a recommendation. Council members and the consultant discussed construction timing: the full replacement program for the city's meters (7,200 meters discussed as a system-size example) could involve several months of construction, with communications and coordination plans for residents.
Staff told council the fee shown in the packet is an amount the city would not pay if it decides to proceed with construction; if the project proceeds, the fee would be rolled into the final project cost. Council members asked about service interruptions during meter swaps; Schneider Electric and staff said individual meter swaps will typically cause 15' to 30'minute interruptions for customers and that those interruptions would be scheduled and communicated in advance.
Council voted to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute the necessary documents to begin the audit.
Next steps: Schneider Electric will conduct the audit work with cooperative support from city utilities staff; staff will return to council with a construction-ready project scope and prices for council consideration before any construction contract is approved.
