BWP expects it will take up to 12 months to replace all water communication modules in Burbank and 24 months to exchange all electric meters.

BWP staff will also begin exchanging all electric meters in Burbank starting in June, 2025 to ensure we continue to provide accurate and timely billing. We expect to upgrade all electric meters in Burbank within 24 months.

Electric meter exchanges will generally interrupt power for less than two (2) minutes. Field personnel will knock on your door before installation.

BWP has contracted with Concord Utility Service to replace approximately 26,800 communication modules on residential and commercial water meters with new modules to ensure BWP continues to receive usage data via wireless technology directly. These communication modules are located in the water meter box, usually located at the curb of your property. Installation of the new communication module for the water meter should take no more than 15 minutes in most cases, and your water service should not be interrupted during that time. To ensure that the installation is complete, workers may briefly test the new water meter communication module. While most work will occur within public rights-of-way and easements, BWP will restore to original condition any private property impacted by the installation.

BWP, our contractors, and consultants are committed to minimizing impacts from this important project and will, therefore, prepare and work according to reliable, updated schedules.

Before leaving the site, door hangers will be left at all entrances to the property, informing customers of the status of the visit – installation complete, installation pending, or unable to access meter with contact information to make an appointment.

To help keep everyone safe, dogs and any other domestic pets will need to be kept out of yards during installation. Please keep electric meter panels on the side of your property unobstructed.

For water communication module installations, please keep meter box lids at the curb unobstructed.

Communication will be ongoing based on neighborhood zones. For a detailed outline of the zones, please review the Deployment Zone Map.

1. BWP expects it will take up to 12 months to replace all water communication modules in Burbank.
   
2. BWP expects it will take up to 24 months to replace all electric meters in Burbank.
   
3. Communication will be ongoing based on neighborhood zones.
   
4. There is a dedicated project webpage which will be updated before each zone is deployed located here: burbankwaterandpower.com/meter-system-upgrade.
   
5. Communications will be sent to all customers from BWP and the City’s Public Information Office (PIO) to outline the project kick-off date and proposed timeframe per zone.
   
6. Monthly progress by zones will be communicated via BWP’s Digital Currents e-newsletter.
   
7. Customers will have the ability to track the progress of installations via zone map.

1. BWP electrical crews will be completing the electric meter installations, which may cause a brief power interruption.
2. BWP staff working on the project will carry proper identification and be in uniform. Customer access to the data provided by AMI is available for electric through the Opower platform.

1. After following a comprehensive proposal solicitation and evaluation process, the selected company to provide the new equipment and conduct the installation for the water communication modules is Concord Utilities.
   
2. Contractors working on the project will carry proper identification and have successfully completed a background check. Customer access to the data provided by using AMI is available for water through WaterSmart.
   
3. Contractors will not need to enter residential property, nor will they be asking for any form of payment from customers.
   
4. Please see a picture of their truck and uniforms and feel free to say Hello.

Communication will be ongoing based on neighborhood zones.

1. The system works via wireless signals sent from a small radio unit inside the water meter box that is connected to the water meter and a small communications module contained within all electric meters. The meter radio unit sends readings to regional collector units that then transmit the meter reading data to meter data software for system management and consumption billing.
   
2. Regional collectors will be located on existing elevated structures and communication towers located throughout Burbank’s service area. Customer access to the data provided by using AMI is available for water through WaterSmart software and for electricity through OPower software.
   
3. Each water radio unit will send a 111-millisecond usage report from the meter to BWP four times a day

1. In 2009, BWP was one of the first utilities in the nation to install remote electric and water meter technology. This has allowed customers to view their 15-minute electric and 1-hour water consumption and make changes to their usage patterns.
   
2. Customer access to the data provided by using AMI is available through WaterSmart software. By signing up on the BWP website, customers can analyze usage patterns, view a water score, compare usage to other like-sized households, and receive tips on saving water and reducing bills.
   
3. The upgrade to the existing advanced metering system will continue to reduce the City’s carbon footprint.
   
4. Thanks to its advanced technology and backup systems in the field, the new system will provide accurate, timely use data regardless of weather conditions or power outages.

Customers will have the ability to track the progress of installations via zone maps on the dedicated Meter System Infrastructure Upgrade webpage on the BWP website, located here.

1. The existing communication modules being replaced during the project will be recycled or disposed of in an appropriate manner.
2. As is currently the case, water and electric meters, along with the associated communication modules, will remain the property of BWP and the utility will continue to perform the required maintenance on these units.

The devices being installed do not negatively affect health or privacy. The wireless portions of the system are operated according to Federal Communications Commission regulations for power output and will not interfere with other radio frequencies in the area. The transmitters use one-quarter of the power of a cellphone. Transmission time for the units to be installed is less than 15 seconds per day.

Visit our dedicated webpage on the BWP website at burbankwaterandpower.com/meter-system-upgrade or contact our customer service team at [email protected] or (818) 238-3572 for more information.