San Patricio Electric Cooperative is more than halfway done with the installation of its Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and it won’t be long before everyone on the co-op’s lines will have a new meter.

The new meters offer a number of benefits for our members. AMI meters should automatically report back to the co-op when there’s a power outage. Ideally, this will help us respond to outages more quickly, sometimes before you’re even aware there’s an issue.They also provide you with more information about your account. Through SmartHub, you can view your energy usage by day, week, month or year. You can also see how your energy use changes with the weather. Additionally, SmartHub includes online bill payments and your account history.

Yet another useful tool is on the face of the meter itself. Each meter has a small digital screen that can help you determine how it is functioning. Here’s what each status means:

• Closed: If your meter is working properly, it should say “Closed” on the digital screen. This means that the connection is closed in and electricity is moving freely into the meter. If the meter says it’s closed, but you don’t have power in your home, check your breakers. Since power is entering the meter, the electrical issue is likely on your side. 

• Open: If your meter says “Open”, it means you don’t have power. That’s because the connection is open and electricity is not moving through the meter. Call our office if this happens to you. We may be missing a payment for your electric bill.

• Open A: If your meter says “Open A” that means the connection is still open, but it’s armed and ready for electric service again. Our service coordinators can arm the meter remotely, however, we rely on you to complete the process for safety reasons. In an armed state, all you have to do is point a remote control (with functioning batteries) about six inches from your meter and press any button. You should hear a pop when the signal from the remote closes the connection to your meter. Once it says closed, you should have power again. 

• Blank: If the digital face on your AMI meter is completely blank, you most likely have a power outage. These new meters automatically alert us if there’s a power outage, but it never hurts to give us a call and let us know you’re out of power.