The days of utility workers visiting a home to secure gas meter readings in Alberta appear numbered following the introduction of aircraft to collect data transmitted on high quality radio frequencies.
“It’s exactly the same technology that we use today,” said Chris Blunt, supervisor for ATCO’s electronics and instrumentation group. “The only difference is we have the collector in an airplane instead of a vehicle.”
According to Blunt, the aerial approach will allow the collection of significant amounts of data in a single flight and reduce driving by meter readers by approximately 600,000 kilometres a year. “It’s (about) always pushing forward and trying to find new efficiencies, a better way to do things.”
Blunt says ERT (encoder, receiver and transmitters) technology is already in place on gas metres throughout the province.
“What it does is it is essentially sending out the signal with the actual meter read on the meter itself,” said Blunt. “There’s no other information, no personal information. We know where all the equipment is and we take that reading and bring it back into our system that we use for billing.”
The service provider for the meter reading, clearGRID Ltd., has a fleet of six aircraft and numerous pilots at the ready and the company’s CEO says the public will not be disturbed by their efforts overhead. “People should not notice our activities,” said Ellen Christopherson, CEO of clearGRID. “Our technology is designed so that we can fly at about 4,500 feet above the ground. That’s well above any noise abatement levels for over city or rural.”
Christopherson says the majority of the meter reading flights will be conducted in a grid pattern but the varying landscapes throughout rural Alberta will dictate flight plans. In addition to ATCO Gas, clearGRID provides meter reading services for other utility providers in Alberta and eastern Canada and the company is planning to expand into the United States.
ATCO Gas plans to fully implement aerial gas meter reading across the province by the beginning of October.
With files from CTV’s Shaun Frenette
