Nebraska power customers to get electric meter upgrades

Nebraska residents and businesses in Gordon, Hay Spring, Pine Ridge, and Whiteclay will soon receive electric meter upgrades via the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD).

The work involving the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) installation will begin July 1 and is expected to be completed in about three weeks. In 2019, approximately 24,500 meters in 33 communities will be replaced, in conjunction with a three-year project by NPPD.

“In addition to what we will do this year, in 2018 we successfully replaced 43,000 meters and more will be replaced in 2020,” Tim Arlt, NPPD Retail general manager, said. “The installation of the AMI systems helps maintain competitive electric rates for our customers by reducing operating expenses. With AMI equipment, we can also pinpoint the exact location of outages quicker, meaning a faster response time in restoring power.”

Prior to the work being executed, the customer service organization will contact retail customers in those communities via telephone to alert them to the installation of the meters. A district employee will switch out the meter at the residence or business and will remove the old one from the premises.

The upgrades will assist in providing reliable electric service for customers and an additional level of safety for NPPD employees when troubleshooting or handling routine maintenance.