Appalachian Power will install 49,000 new meters in Tennessee
AEP Appalachian Power will install about 49,000 “advanced” meters for its customers in the City of Kingsport and parts of Sullivan and Hawkins counties in Tennessee.
The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters, which will be installed at no charge to customers, are part of AEP’s routine service upgrade. They will replace the radio frequency (RF) meters that were installed in 2005. The replacement project will take from four-to-six weeks to complete.
The new AMI meters are equipped with technology that allows the company to read customer meters remotely. The current RF meters require a technician to drive to homes and businesses to obtain meter readings. The new meters will also allow the company to conduct electric service connections and disconnects, as well as some other service needs, remotely. Further, it will allow AEP Appalachian to more quickly detect when an outage occurs so it can dispatch a crew to the site.
Customers can expect a short power outage while the meters are being switched out. Customers do not have to be at home when the meters are replaced.
AEP Appalachian Power, a unit of American Electric Power, has approximately 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.
