Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) FAQ

The City of Nixa decided to transition to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to improve the accuracy and efficiency of utility meter reading while providing better service to our customers. The new meters will allow the city to collect meter readings remotely, reduce the need for manual meter reading, and provide more timely and reliable usage information.

The investment also positions the city for the future by providing a more modern utility system that can help identify potential issues, improve operational efficiency, and give customers better information about their utility usage.

AMI helps identify where a power outage is occurring and how many meters are affected. Instead of driving the lines to locate an issue, the system can help pinpoint the outage, allowing crews to respond more quickly.

The system can also reduce unnecessary truck rolls by allowing us to communicate with meters remotely without having to physically visit the site. 

Overall, the new system gives us more timely and detailed information, helping us identify and resolve power issues faster and more efficiently.

This project was included in the city’s approved 2026 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The 2026 CIP includes $3.1 million for the Electric Department’s meter upgrades and $3 million for the Water Department’s meter upgrades, with each project funded through its respective department’s CIP budget.

The city has an adopted rate structure that includes incremental increases to cover operational costs. The adoption of an AMI system was funded from existing revenues through our Capital Improvement Program. A rate increase is not necessary to afford the system.

No. Your billing cycle will stay the same.

No. Residential customers are not charged higher rates for electricity used during peak hours. Our existing rate structure has a per kilowatt usage charge.

The AMI meters measure the total electricity or water usage at the meter. They do not identify specific appliances, fixtures, or activities within a home. For example, the system can show how much electricity a home used during a certain period, but it cannot determine whether that usage came from an air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine, or other appliance.

Customer meters are currently read once a month. With the new AMI system, meters will be read hourly, and customers will be able to access that usage information online.

No.

We will continue to employ meter readers. While their daily duties will change somewhat, the new meter system will still require ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and oversight. We will also continue to physically read meters twice a year to help ensure the accuracy of the system and verify that meters remain accessible

This AMI system utilizes a dedicated RF frequency that has been purchased and licensed for the City of Nixa only.  Some AMI systems utilized a cellular signal that is shared with multiple end users, by having our on dedicated RF frequency we have a more secure and reliable transmission of data.

No, there are no cameras on the new meters.

By the end of 2024, approximately 151 million communicating electricity meters were in operation in the U.S., representing 91% of the country’s installed electric meter base. 

• Of those communicating meters, the large majority were AMI meters, with Omdia , a technology research and analytics company, reported that 88% of the communicating-meter installed base was AMI. 
• Adoption continues to grow. In 2024, 95.7% of all new electricity meters shipped in North America were communicating meters, showing that connected metering has become the market standard. 
• Communicating meters have been deployed at scale for decades, with large deployments beginning in the early 1990s.

In short, AMI is a mature, widely deployed technology. More than nine out of ten electric meters in the U.S. now have communications capability, and nearly all new meters shipped in North America are communicating meters.

All electric meters will be changed for a new AMI meter; the majority of water meters will remain unchanged with only a new read module installed.  Older water meters will be changed to a new meter that can accept the new AMI read module. Meter replacements are being coordinated to avoid affecting current reading and billing. Because of this, meter technicians may move between different areas of the city.

When your meter is replaced, a door hanger will be left at your home notifying you that the work has been completed.