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NBU SMART

Have you ever wondered how your electric and water meters automatically connect to the utility company you pay every month?

Recently, NBU rolled out the introduction of Smart Meters for greater efficiency.

Smart meters provide new services and added convenience to customers. This is accomplished with new programs, installing advanced infrastructure, and then pairing them together for the best possible customer experience. This shift in technology has proven to be beneficial for NBU while offering a good return for our customers.

New Braunfels Utilities continues to research and assess capabilities within the Smart Meter technology and programs so we can bring best practices and further secure the resiliency of NBU’s system for years to come.

Convenience

Customers can already purchase devices that offer them control of their appliances remotely. New Braunfels Utilities is committed to enhancing that type of service with equipment and technology. New Braunfels Utilities is in the early stages of developing infrastructure, through smart meters, to permit Home Area Network (HAN) devices access to near real-time reads of electric usage. This framework will provide customers the ability to manage their smart appliances remotely from a cell phone or computer. Customers will be able to log in to the customer web portal, Customer Connect, 24/7, to view their daily usage. Customers can stay up-to-date on how much water and electricity they are using rather than waiting to receive their bill. Customers can view their energy usage or make service requests online and on their own time.

  • Customer Connect also features optional notifications that can be customized to notify the customer about usage, outages, conservation alerts, and more! These notifications keep customers up-to-date with important information, and customers have the option of receiving these messages by text, automated phone messages, or by e-mail.
  • Customers with smart meters on the electric side no longer need to report electric outages — the smart meter does this automatically!

Reliability

  • There will be increased efficiency throughout the entire utility with the new system automatically notifying NBU of outages and identifying water leaks, allowing these issues to be more quickly and easily addressed.
  • Protecting customer information is a top priority for NBU. Data sent across the network will be encrypted and will not include any identifying information about the customer. The system used is a highly protected network that encodes information sent to NBU in the same way that an ATM or bank safely transports information. New Braunfels Utilities’ current privacy policies will remain in place to ensure that customer information is always protected.

Environmental Impact

The main focus of NBU is to remain a good steward of precious natural resources and to encourage customers to do the same. New Braunfels Utilities continues to research services, such as time-of-use rate structures, to provide an incentive for conservation.

  • Customers will be able to log in to the customer web portal, Customer Connect, 24/7 to view their daily usage. Customers can stay up-to-date on how much water and electricity they are using rather than waiting to receive their bill. This tool increases awareness for customers about how their monthly usage compares to their historical usage, and issues can be addressed more quickly, minimizing waste of water and electricity.
  • Customer Connect also features optional notifications that can be customized to notify the customer with customized usage alerts, conservation levels, and more! These are practical tools that can help customers build habits around the best resource conservation practices.
  • Smart meters reduced vehicle emissions! Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) converts system events into quickly-retrievable digital information, allowing many problems to now to be resolved from NBU offices instead of requiring an employee to drive to the location and collect data!

Money Savings

New Braunfels Utilities is always looking for ways to bring the lowest rates and best services to its customers. NBU continues to research services, such as time-of-use rate structures, prepaying for usage, and other programs to determine what will make NBU customers happiest and keep their costs as low as possible.

  • Customers will be able to log in to the customer web portal, Customer Connect, 24/7 to view their daily usage. This means that customers can stay up-to-date on how much water and electricity they’re using rather than waiting to receive their bill. Making changes throughout the month and cutting out unnecessary usage can save customers money!
  • Customer Connect also features optional notifications that can be customized to notify the customer with customized usage alerts, conservation levels, and more! By receiving notifications about usage, this is another way customers can keep their usage on track throughout the month to save money.
  • Due to the increased efficiency that comes with smart meters, NBU can focus funds on improving services and maintaining some of the lowest rates in the region.