The Water Department is also exploring use of automated meter reading devices.
WESTFIELD – Westfield Gas and Electric Department plans to spend about $3.2 million on new electric meters that officials claim will save customers an estimated $17 million.
The new meter system, which will allow for remote or automated reading of usage by customers, will be financed with $1.6 million from a previous bond utility and $1.6 million in new bonding approved by the City Council last week.
Utility superintendent Daniel Howard said the project, to be completed within the next few months, will allow the department to reduce the number of meter readers employed and the number of vehicles used for meter reading. The department currently has five readers and that will be decreased by one or two, Howard said.
A new utility billing system will be implemented by the department in January, Howard said.
The new meters are for electricity only. Howard said the utility is required by regulation to replace gas meters every seven years. There are no regulations governing replacement of electric meters, he said.
The department will install more than 10,000 new meters designed for automated reading equipment, he said.
The new bond will be financed over a 20-year period, the same time period that will produce the estimated $17 million in savings that will be past onto customers, according to Howard.
Also, Howard and Water Superintendent David S. Billips informed councilors that both departments are exploring future billing procedures that will include water charges for residents.
That billing will also rely on automated reading devices, they said.