‘Smart Meters’ Part Of Infrastructure Overhaul in Tupelo

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Businesses, industries, and residents in one city will soon get new electric meters.

It’s part of an improvement to Tupelo’s infrastructure that will benefit the the city and its utility customers.

On Wednesday, workers will begin replacing old, electric meters, with automated, “smart meters.”

“You go back to the old, mechanical equipment, it just does not have the accuracy this new stuff does, it’s picking up every minute, kilowatt hour,” said Johnny Timmons, Director of Tupelo Water & Light.

The upgrade is part of an overhaul of all water and power meters for Tupelo Water and Light customers.

The new meters will relay usage information directly to the city, so there will no longer be monthly inspections every month for water and power use.

“Probably sixty, seventy percent of homes in city have fenced in backyards, dogs, things of that sort, this will be a real plus for that, we will have no need to go into those backyards ever again,” Timmons said.

There are a lot of other cost saving advantages to the smart meters.

Timmons points out the new technology will make it easier to detect utility theft.

“Once these meters are put in, if any reason the meter is tampered, or disconnected, it will send a communication back to our office and notify us that there’s something going on out there, so we advise everyone, if you need for any reason to disconnect your meter, contact water and light department, service man will come out and take care of that for you,” he said.

It will take about a year to get the entire city on the smart meters.

Timmons points out the meter readers will be given other jobs in the water and light department.