OpportunityMotivated to find an advanced metering system to support its gas and electricitycustomer base, Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) began soliciting automatedmeter reading (AMR) vendors in early 2003. Namely, they were looking for asolution that enabled them to read more meters in a shorter amount of time, eliminate manual data entry errors and estimated readings, and reduce the highoperational costs associated with hard-to-read meters. Ultimately, the systemwould provide a platform for other savings and services in the future.

Relying on numerous Itron products in the past, the utility’s decision eventually camedown to how much risk they were willing to take in choosing a different vendor.

“Not only was Itron bringing an impressive mobile and fixed network AMR offeringto the table, but their proven track record was also an important consideration,”said Mike Hirst, mobile services manager for MDU.

Solution MDU chose ChoiceConnect, the industry’s most affordable and flexible AMRplatform, including Fixed Network, which allows electric and gas providers likeMDU to collect and manage frequent consumption and meter data reliably andaffordably. ChoiceConnect distinguished itself by offering a progressive blend ofsolutions that would let MDU deploy the solution they needed, where and whenthey needed it. System components inherent to ChoiceConnect, including radio-equipped electric meters and gas modules, network communication devices,mobile collectors, and software, offer the flexibility to upgrade as business needs change.

“MDU has a diverse customer and geographic service territory that requires a flexibleAMR system that can grow and adapt as our business and regulatory conditionschange. Our research, as well as our instincts, told us that this was the best solutionfor MDU,” said Hirst.

“Not only was Itron bringing an

impressive mobile and fixed net-

work AMR offering to the table, but

their proven track record was also

an important consideration”

Mike Hirst

Mobile Services Manager

Montana-Dakota Utilities

See next page for additional information.

ChoiceConnect™ Fixed Network and 100G Gas ERT®

Modules Offer Up Powerful Combination forMontana-Dakota UtilitiesIndustry’s most affordable and flexible AMR platform from Itron allows utility to collect data more reliably and cost effectively

The utility’s service area includes 365,000 electric and gas meters throughoutWyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. ChoiceConnect was chosento initially automate 277,000 of its meters, starting in 100 targeted communities—this quickly grew to 300,000 of its meters. They originally slated 60,000 gas endpoints to be read under the Fixed Network.

Today, almost 116,000 100G Gas ERT modules can be seen by the ChoiceConnectFixed Network, twice as many endpoints than originally anticipated. Itron’s mostpowerful gas module, the 100G, was chosen by MDU for its ability to deliver99.999% read accuracy and offer up to 250 milliwatts of output power. Its 20-yearbattery life was also an attractive feature, ensuring low cost of ownership.

“The system continues to meet, and in some cases, exceed our expectations ineach additional community where it’s implemented,” said Al Jirges, measurementsupervisor, MDU Electric and Natural Gas division.

Recently, in Billings, Mont., which is a gas-only service area with 48,000 meters,MDU installed three trial Fixed Network collectors, and no repeaters, in less-than-optimal locations. Expecting to initially see only a few thousand endpoints, theyimmediately picked up reads for half the endpoints. This drastically reduced theestimated number of collectors and repeaters they had envisioned they would needfor optimal redundancy and concentration.

Itron has also stayed ahead of schedule in meeting rigorous route acceptanceguidelines for both Fixed Network and mobile reads. To date, all 241 routes havebeen accepted. For Fixed Network areas, this means migration is complete and thenetwork reads 98% or more of its targeted endpoints.

BenefitsIn terms of benefits, for some of the engineering staff, it’s as simple as just beingable to use the network to detect down meters. Enterprisewide benefits include adecrease in read rate errors and labor costs. Safety is becoming less of a concern,as fewer meters require a visit, and with their access to more timely and accuratemeter data, off-cycle reads are diminishing. And given that MDU’s service areacovers more than 168,000 square miles, they immediately witnessed a reduction in costly, out-of-route reads.

Regarding equipment performance, the endpoints continue to perform as advertised.Winter conditions in these areas are extreme, including temperatures at minus 42with windchill. The components of Itron’s AMR network have not failed theMDU team yet.

The FutureMDU is currently putting systems in place to manage the high volumes of residentialinterval data for which they now have access. The utility again turned to Itron,and will soon finish its deployment of Itron Enterprise Edition™ Meter DataManagement (IEE MDM) to integrate its multiple collection systems, broker readrequests, and provide the needed repository for its high-quality interval data. Thisis especially relevant as they expand the reach of their Fixed Network.

“The system continues to

meet, and in some cases,

exceed our expectations in

each additional community

where it’s implemented”

Al Jirges

Measurement Supervisor

Montana-Dakota Utilities

Electric and Natural Gas Division

“It’s hard to believe that there are

more benefits of the system that

we’ve yet to explore. Outage

detection and restoration, load

forecasting, time-based rates and

better management of energy

resources—we’re on a path that

enables access to all of these

thanks to Itron.”

Al Jirges

Due to continuous research, product improvementand enhancements, Itron reserves the right tochange product or system specifications withoutnotice. Itron is a registered trademark of Itron Inc.All other trademarks belong to their respectiveowners. © 2009, Itron Inc.

Publication 100942CS-0101/09

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Tel.: 1.509.924.9900

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Contact your Itron regional

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MDU initially envisioned that its Fixed Network deployment would cover 48% ofits service area, with the balance being filled with mobile or handheld AMR. Dueto their high level of satisfaction with the performance of Itron’s system, includingthe range of its collectors, the utility is now considering growing its networkwherever practical. This likely means its gas endpoint installations will quicklyexceed 200,000.

Since the MDU slogan is, “In the Community to Serve,” they look forward to theimpact this will have on customers, especially in conjunction with the IEE MDMimplementation. Ultimately, they would like to give customers access to this data,helping them to better understand their usage.

Says Jirges, “It’s hard to believe that there are more benefits of the system thatwe’ve yet to explore. Outage detection and restoration, load forecasting, time-basedrates and better management of energy resources—we’re on a path that enablesaccess to all of these thanks to Itron.”