SEQUIM — Meter readers are no longer roaming Sequim’s streets checking utility usage.
Workers have fully switched over the city’s utilities so they can be remotely read with devices via radio waves.
In total, that’s just fewer than 3,100 utility meters, city staff said.
The remote meters were all live as of April 11, City Manager Matt Huish said at the Sequim City Council meeting on April 14.
Staff started the process of purchasing the meters in late 2023 and installation began in August 2024, Sequim Public Works Director Paul Bucich wrote via email.
“Full integration with our billing system will be completed by the beginning of May,” he said.
“The customer portal will be integrated in early summer once we know all the bugs have been worked out. The portal will allow our customers to view their meter usage data daily, billing information, etc.”
He said residents will be able to read their water usage under the new system.
All of the meters are radio reads, and new construction will include the same kind, he said.
The meters are a different brand than Clallam PUD uses, Bucich said, but they use the same technology.
According to the PUD’s frequently asked questions on its website, its automatic meter infrastructure (AMI) meters use “RF waves, similar to communication by cell phones and Wi-Fi but at a significantly lower energy level.”
Staff state that, “based on average reads, the total transmitting period over a full year will average about 12 minutes.”
“Standing in front of an advanced meter for an entire year is roughly the same exposure to RF as a six-minute 4G cell phone call or wirelessly streaming anything,” they write.
The PUD’s website states that staff recognize customers’ concerns of RF waves, so they have an option to opt out for a non-transmitting meter at clallampud.net/advanced-meter-opt-out.
They continue to offer non-transmitting meters to customers for an additional fee for staff to read the meters. The PUD’s commissioners recently changed the agency’s policy to only offer digital, non-transmitting meters rather than analog meters due to availability.
Clallam PUD began changing to AMI meters in 2019, and 136 customers have opted out of the conversion.
Sequim does not have an opt-out option of radio-transmitting meters, Bucich said, and they have not had any requests to do so.
“I’m not sure we would support such a request as it drives up our costs and is inefficient,” he said.
From switching to AMI meters, PUD staff report the agency saves more than $300,000 a year.
For Sequim, Bucich said three full-time staff members read meters one week a month, or about 120 hours of staff time, not counting re-reads, shut-offs, billing notices and other duties.
As of last week, city staff estimate they’ve spent $761,500 of an $802,300 budget for the meter changes.
“Looking at the rate of return on investment, we have about 13 years before these units pay for themselves,” he said. “Considering that we expect an average life of 20 years and that salary costs go up every year, it’s a good investment for the community.”
Bucich said the changeover to remote meters will save the city about $62,000 a year while reducing carbon footprint and other expenses and freeing up staff time.
“The changeover will result in reduced vehicle usage, will increase safety for our crews, and reduce overhead costs (for billing staff),” he said. “Further, we now have an additional 1,440 hours of crew time to allocate to other functions that have been lagging due to staff availability.”
For more information about the City of Sequim’s utility services, visit sequimwa.gov.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
