AMI Engagement Benchmarking Tool

AMI Engagement Benchmarking Tool Form

Agency Name *

State *

Email for Benchmarking Results *

Date *

Would you like your agency to be listed as a tool participant? *

Has your agency previously submitted responses to the AMI Engagement Benchmarking Tool? *

Yes

Please confirm that you recognize these responses will replace previously submitted responses *

I confirm

Customer Contact Engagement Practices

Does your agency have a customer facing portal? Select all that apply. *

Yes, an in-house portal

Yes, commercially available software

Does your agency have a schedule to encourage customers to revalidate their contact information? *

Yes

Does your agency have a campaign to request that customers provide digital contact information? *

Yes

Customer Proactive Notifications

Does your agency send proactive leak and/or high use notifications sent beyond notifications provided via a customer portal? *

Yes

Not applicable, not all customers are on an AMI-integrated customer portal

What are your agency's methods of sending proactive leak and/or high use alerts? *

Through a customer portal and other outreach methods

Only through other outreach methods

Are your agency's proactive leak and/or high use alert notifications opt-in or opt-out? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

Why is your agency not sending proactive notifications? Select all that apply. *

Launching proactive notification program - no current program

Insufficient technology

No customer-facing portal

Not enough customers - plan to implement a proactive notification program with full AMI deployment

Not enough customers - no plan to implement a proactive notification program with full AMI deployment

Lack of support from leadership / decision-makers

General Customer Communication Methods

How does your agency send notifications? Select all that apply. *

Print mail (postcard, letter, door hanger)

Text

Voice/robocall

Utility staff call

Portal notifications

Field Visit

Do no send notifications

Do customers have to opt in to receive text notifications? *

Yes

Do customers have to login to a portal to see meaningful details about the leak information after they received a notification? *

Yes

Utility AMI Deployment by Account Sector

What percent of residential customers have AMI? *

0 - 29%

30 - 59%

60 - 89%

90 - 100%

What percent of CII customers have AMI? *

0 - 29%

30 - 59%

60 - 89%

90 - 100%

What percent of DIM accounts are AMI? *

0 - 29%

30 - 59%

60 - 89%

90 - 100%

AMI Software and Hardware Related Practices and Utilization

Does your agency have a customer facing portal that provides customer access to AMI water consumption data? *

Yes

No, the customer portal is not integrated with AMI data

No customer facing portal

Does your agency have an in-house and/or commercially available AMI software? Select all that apply. *

Commercially available

In-house

Is your agency's AMI system managed independently or by service provider? *

Service provider

Independently

What AMI communication technology does your agency use? *

Radio frequency

Cellular

What is the highest frequency of AMI reads for your agency? *

Hourly

Sub-hourly

Multi-hourly

What is the frequency of data transmitted into HES and/or MDMS for your agency? *

Hourly

Multi-hourly

Daily

What devices are used along with AMI system for your agency? Select all that apply. *

Pressure monitoring

Remote shut off

Water quality monitoring

Other sensors, equipment, and field monitoring devices

None

AMI Management and Opperations

Is your agency measuring minimum continuous flow to identify leaks and sending notifications? *

Yes

Is your agency sending high flow notifications? *

Yes

Are notifications sent in languages other than English? *

Yes

Not sending notifications

What department oversees your agency's leak/high flow notification process? *

Water Conservation

Billing

Analytics

Customer Service

Water Department/Public Works

How much personnel time is required to manage notification processes? Report personnel time in full time equivalents employee (FTEs). *

Fully Automated (0 FTE)

0.01 - 0.25 FTE

0.25 - 0.5 FTE

0.51 - 0.75 FTE

0.76 - 1.00 FTE

1.01 - 1.50 FTE

>1.50 FTE

Not applicable

Minimum Continuous Flow Notifications

Are single family residential minimum continuous flow notifications opt-in or opt-out? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

Are small & large multi-family residential minimum continuous flow notifications opt-in or opt-out? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

Are commercial, institutional, industrial (CII) minimum continuous flow notifications opt-in or opt-out? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

High Flow Alert Notifications

Does your agency send spike notifications - high use over the course of a day or days compared to a static threshold? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

Does your agency send spike notifications - high use over the course of a day(s) compared to an average use (specific to customer/may change over time)? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

Does your agency send spike notifications - high use over the course of a number of hours (<24) compared to a static threshold? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

Does your agency send spike notifications - high use for a number of hours (<24) compared to an average use (specific to account/may change over time)? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notifications

Does your agency send bill alerts - water use in billing period is trending to be higher than average use? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

Does your agency send vacation alerts – non-zero use during a specified period of time? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

Does your agency send custom notifications - notification based on customer's chosen volume of water in a day or other period of time? *

Opt-in

Opt-out

No notification

AMI Data to Calculate Water Savings

Does your agency calculate water savings estimates from notification programs?

Yes

How does your agency incorporate AMI data with water usage analyses? Select all that apply. *

Customer usage (patterns & trends)

Analysis of leaks

Analysis of customer attributes, eligibility & outreach

Irrigation water use & customer compliance

Conservation customer compliance

Water loss

Audits

Billing

Per capita usage

Customer Resources to Support Leaks and High Water Usage

Does your agency provide tools or resources to customers who receive a leak alert to help them find and address leaks? Select all that apply. *

Webpage (directions, guides, videos)

Portal (directions, guides, videos)

Personal communication

Physical resources

Field staff audit or investigation

Phone call

Newsletter

None

Does your agency provide additional financial or leak repair assistance for low-income customers? Select all that apply. *

Customer assistance program (CAP) - bill pay

Plumbing assistance program

Leak forgiveness / reimbursement

Leak detection

Water line assistance program

Toilet rebates

Does your agency offer leak-related resources? Select all that apply. *

Educational information about leaks on web, social media, and/or other communications channels

Leak kits

Leak repair services

Leak repair insurance program

On-bill financing to pay for cost to repair leaks (customer pays for repairs through additional charge on utility bill)

Low-cost loan program to pay for the cost to repair leaks

Does your agency provide free or subsidized leak inspections at a customer's property? *

Yes

Sometimes

Leak Adjustments

How has your agency's leak notification program impacted the number of customer high bill queries or complaints? *

Significant reduction (>20%)

Small reduction (10 - 20%)

No change (+/- 10%)

I do not know

Does your agency have a policy for courtesy leak adjustments? *

Yes

Yes, under certain circumstances

What circumstances are required for a customer to receive a leak adjustment? Select all that apply. *

Must be eligible for adjustment (income based, limits on number of adjustments, frequency limits on adjustments)

Leak repair must be complete prior to adjustment

Adjustment request must be made in a specific timeframe

Only specific types of leaks are eligible

Account must have minimum period of consumption record to receive adjustment

Sewer payment reduced to adjust customer bill

No restrictions or requirements for adjustments

Common Practices

How is your agency currently using AMI for water conservation or efficiency related purposes? Select all that apply. *

General troubleshooting for high bill complaints

Verification of savings from programs

Bill adjustments for leaks

Targeting high/inefficient users for programs

Meter accuracy or functionality

Irrigation system audits

Water use restriction monitoring and/or enforcement (e.g. time and day restrictions)

Commercial, industrial, institutional (CII) indoor audits

Demand forecasting

Distribution system analysis/leak identification

Irrigation water use calculations/benchmarking

Residential indoor water use calculations/benchmarking

Commercial, industrial, institutional (CII) water use benchmarking

Meter sizing

Peak demand analysis

Pressure management

Identification of irrigation during rain events

Multi-family residential indoor audits

Verification of savings to determine rebate amount/approve rebate

Water budgets – informational

New or re-development impact fees

Water budgets – rates assessment

Transition to monthly or other frequency of billing

Other departments utilize the data

AMI Not in use

What ways is your agency currently using AMI for purposes other than water conservation or efficiency? Select all that apply. *

Billing

Customer engagement / service

Meter & water usage check

Infrastructure management

Leak identification

Wastewater

Operation and management

Pressure monitoring

Troubleshooting

Regulatory compliance

Utility Department

Parks Department

Legal team

Marketing team

Other

None or not applicable

Challenges and Opportunities

What challenges related to leak and/or high use notification programs does your agency face? Select all that apply. *

Educating customers

Maintaining current contact information for customers

Low portal sign-up

Insufficient staff for follow-up, inspections and/or audits

Multiple customers on a single meter

Challenges related to availability or cost of professionals (e.g. plumbers) to support customers in finding and/or addressing leaks

No separate irrigation meters

Training customer service representatives

Meter reading precision

No customer facing portal

No leak and/or high use notification program

Data management and use

No customer facing portal

No notification program

What ways is your agency planning to or would like to use AMI for water conservation and efficiency? Select all that apply. *

General troubleshooting for high bill complaints

Verification of savings from programs

Bill adjustments for leaks

Targeting high/inefficient users for programs

Meter accuracy or functionality

Irrigation system audits

Water use restriction monitoring and/or enforcement (e.g. time and day restrictions)

Commercial, industrial, institutional (CII) indoor audits

Demand forecasting

Distribution system analysis/leak identification

Irrigation water use calculations/benchmarking

Residential indoor water use calculations/benchmarking

Commercial, industrial, institutional (CII) water use benchmarking

Meter sizing

Peak demand analysis

Pressure management

Identification of irrigation during rain events

Multi-family residential indoor audits

Verification of savings to determine rebate amount/approve rebate

Water budgets – informational

New or re-development impact fees

Water budgets – rates assessment

Transition to monthly or other frequency of billing

Other departments utilize the data

AMI Not in use

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