AMI Meter Project Overview

Your meters are getting smarter!

The City of Castroville is installing new “smart” meters for all Castroville Utility customers beginning the week of April 17, 2023. Ameresco and their subcontractor Envocore (dba RTS) were chosen to replace outdated manual meters with upgraded meters as part of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, which will upgrade and modernize the City’s utility billing infrastructure.

The project will begin with water meter replacement and retrofit the register for select gas meter*. With this AMI utility meter project, customers will have access to more frequent detailed information about their water, electric and gas consumption, enabling them to have better control over their utility usage and monthly bills.

Project Timeline

Ameresco and RTS will begin work during the week of April 17. Installation is expected to take approximately six months as the city replaces all water, gas, and electric meters throughout the City’s utility system. Their crews will be properly identified with either the Ameresco or Envocore (RTS) company insignia on their vehicles and uniforms. Ameresco or RTS employees will not have to enter your home at any time. 

If the meter is outside and accessible, you don’t need to be available at the time of the installation. Most upgrades can take up to 30 minutes and there will be a brief service interruption while the technician changes the meter.

What is “AMI”

AMI meters allow two-way electronic communication between the meter and the utility’s systems. They enable automated meter reading and ensure accurate billing each month by virtually eliminating manual and estimated readings.

These new AMI meters consist of a water, gas or electric meter, a register, and a low-powered communication device/radio that is integrated in a single unit. The register is continuously recording usage and the radio sends a meter reading to a Base Station which is mounted on an elevated water storage tank. The Base Station transmit the read over a secure network every six (6) hours back to the meter data management software which is located in the cloud. With this upgrade and the integration of this data into customer portal software (this will be available to Castroville customers at a later date), you will have access to more frequent and detailed information about your water consumption, enabling you to have better control over your utility usage and monthly bills.

If you have any questions email them to pwadmin@castrovilletx.gov or call Public Works at (830)931-4090.

*Note: About 30% of the gas meters in the city require full replacement. A separate crew will arrange meter replacement with the individual resident as it will require them to turn off the gas, make the installation then enter your home to re-light pilot lights.

**Note: Businesses will be contacted separately for their meter installations.

Letter from Public Works Director John Gomez: PWDirector letter