Cookeville Gas, Electric Budgets Include Automated Meter Reading System

Cookeville’s gas and electric departments plan to partner in the next fiscal year in testing a new automated meter reading system.

Gas Department Director Jeff Mills said the new system will be tested in high-density areas before being implemented citywide.

“Both of us will do the same areas in the pilot program just so the infrastructure will be there from a communications [standpoint],” Mills said. “We’re probably looking at somewhere around the middle of town, the (Tennessee) Tech area, the hospital area, just somewhere in that area just to give us a little bit of the larger users and evaluate the residential also.”

Both the gas and electric departments have budgeted $100,000 in their 2019-2020 spending plan.

Electric Department Director Carl Haney said the new automated system would allow for real-time remote access to meters, allowing both departments to run more efficiently.

“It would help pinpoint some issues. If we’re sitting there looking and the voltage is running a little low or a little high, that would give us an indication of something’s going on,” Haney said. “We can monitor that or go ahead and adjust those. Those can be adjusted from our substation so that would give us some foresight if you will.”

Haney said having a live look at each meter will also help in situations such as a power outage and locating where a problem may be.

If the budgets are approved, the departments will seek bids from contractors to install the new meters. A timeline as to when the meters will be installed has yet to be determined.

City officials discussed the proposal during Friday’s budget work session. Cookeville City Council will ultimately decide on approving the budget within the coming weeks.