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City demonstrates AquaHawk customer portal as AMI meter rollout reaches 4,228 replacements
Summary
The Fillmore City Council saw a demonstration of the AquaHawk customer portal after the city completed a large meter-replacement program of 4,228 AMI meters funded under an earlier-approved performance contract and equipment lease.
Council received a demonstration of the city’s new AquaHawk advanced-metering customer portal as part of an AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) project.
Staff said the city contracted with Willdan Energy Solutions and AquaHawk through a performance contract approved in December 2023 and a subsequent equipment lease-purchase (Resolution No. 243988) that funded the meter replacements. The finance technician reported the city has installed 4,228 new meters and completed beta testing of the AquaHawk portal. Willdan and AquaHawk consultants joined the council meeting by video to answer questions.
Staff described the customer benefits: account registration with a utility account number, access to hourly, daily, monthly and annual usage, projected vs. estimated bill amounts, and usage thresholds that trigger notifications by text, email or phone. Staff said the contract guaranteed a 10.2% accuracy improvement on billable consumption and that the project included training for finance and public-works staff. City staff noted approximately 457 customers are currently signed up for electronic billing and about 2,500 customers use the city’s online bill-payment portal monthly.
AquaHawk staff said their application is used by more than 100 U.S. utilities and that the city would use the portal to notify customers about leaks and unusual consumption quickly. Staff said outreach will include social-media posts, billing inserts, a web page and mass notifications when the portal goes live to encourage residents to register and set thresholds to reduce surprise bills.
Financial note: staff reported no new fiscal action was needed at the meeting; the system and meter replacements were paid through the earlier-approved lease/purchase agreement and performance contract.
Why it matters: AMI meters and a customer portal let residents monitor usage and act to prevent waste and property damage from leaks, and the metering accuracy improvement can increase recovered revenue from previously under-registering meters.
