Utilities Connection:
Reading meters is NOT a walk
in the park
By Esmeralda Almanza
After following a Las Cruces Utilities Service Reader for 120 meter readings... I have new
appreciation for job commitment. Being a Service Reader is more than just walking around
collecting data… it’s a state of mind! The
ordeals and challenges faced everyday - not to
mention the almost 4-mile daily walk in ANY
weather (including last year’s freeze) - is a real
test of character.
Throughout the day, a meter reader finds
himself confronted by not one, but several large
dogs. But collecting the readings is extremely
important: those are the numbers used to
calculate monthly bills for residents and
businesses. “We have to get the reads done,
because our whole operation is schedule-based,”
explains Eric Lucero, Meter Reading Supervisor, “we want to charge our customers only for
what they use without having to estimate, but we need to be able to read their meters without
putting our Service Readers in danger.”
Aggressive pets are often the reason Las Cruces Utilities must estimate gas or water
consumption. Service Readers have encountered hundreds of situations where dogs prevent them
from obtaining an actual reading on the meter.
“Before we resort to estimating, meter readers try to get your meter data by working around your
pet, or scoping the meter using binoculars, or by
using a mirror they carry,” says Lucero.
Other challenging situations: working around
fences, landscaping, overgrown shrubs,
construction debris, mounds of dirt and vehicles.
“Sometimes cars are parked right over the water
meter, and I’ve had to crawl under to get the
read,” says Service Reader, Michael Villaseñor.
Scoping by binoculars is not always successful;
the distance and conditions of the meter are
important factors in obtaining a clear, accurate
reading.
Data collection is not the only important part of
their job: Service Readers report back water
leaks, gas smells, broken or tampered with
meters and more as they walk. “They are our
eyes,” says Lucero.
Service Readers also carry with them a handheld
ITRON-FC300 Data Collector, which has been
downloaded with their daily assigned route according to customers' billing dates. The gas and
water readings for every house or business are entered into this unit. Each Service Reader
collects approximately 450 to 500 meter reads (water and gas) every day.
From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week, Raymond Lucero, Gary Sessions, Eli Duran, Joseph
Martinez, Rudy Silva, Hugo Villa, Daniel Jarvis, Luis Gonzalez, Carlos Holguin, Michael
Villaseñor, Tony Soto, and Gustavo Flores make sure the 75,000 water and gas meters in the
City are read.
For your safety… employees are required to wear a City uniform with logos in full view. They
are also issued an ID badge and required to carry it on their route. Most importantly, they are not
allowed to accept Utility payments or collect money for any repair work.
Once the Service Reader collects meter reads for the day, he returns to the Meter Reading office
where Service Reader II, Mike Palacios, downloads all the data. This information is sent to
Billing and Collections at City Hall. To get your bill in time every month, meter reading is
scheduled on a 20-day period to give enough time for data collection and the billing process.
In the near future, Las Cruces Utilities will be upgrading to Automated Meter Reading (AMR),
which is a drive-by unit with a small computer hooked up to an antennae that will read the
meters from afar. “The City is in the first phase of this transition. After it’s approved we will put
an ERTS device on each meter starting with commercial then residential,” explains Lucero.
AMR will cut the reading time by more than half; it will be more accurate and safer for the crew.
If you have concerns regarding Utility meters and accessibility please call (575) 528-3501. Las
Cruces Utilities can help evaluate your situation.
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3511 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Las Cruces Utilities
is not funded through tax dollars. It is a cost-of-service provider. Under state law, it cannot generate a
profit. This City Department can only charge what it costs to provide GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER –
SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents. Utilities Connection is
submitted by Suzanne Michaels Communications.