Advanced Meter

Advanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) is an integrated system of meters, data management systems and communications networks that allow two-way communication between a utility and its customers. AMI allows a utility to capture real-time or near real-time voltage, current, consumption, demand and other related information.

The AMI technology will allow Mississippi Power to read all meters remotely, eliminating the manual steps, including downloading routes, manually reading meters, and uploading of meter readings for each route. This will avoid potential safety hazards, potential meter reading errors, and accessibility issues and ultimately reduce the cost of meter reading.

There are many ways this technology will benefit Mississippi Power customers. Because AMI allows for real-time reporting, customers will be able to see their usage online and clearly understand how the energy is being used in their homes. Additionally, AMI will allow Mississippi Power to offer more payment options and pricing structures to its customers. AMI also enhances reliability and reduces operating costs, which helps the company operate more efficiently.

AMI will not immediately decrease the amount of your energy bill, but it will put downward pressure on rates in the future. The system will allow Mississippi Power to offer more detailed energy usage information and rate options so customers can better manage their energy usage.

The rate impact will be included in the annual PEP filing and is not known at this time.

Yes. Customers may choose to opt-out of advanced meter reading; however, they will need to pay an up-front fee of $286 as well as an additional monthly fee of $44. The up-front fee will cover programming costs, opt-out processing costs, and other necessary expenses required to provide continuing reliable service and the monthly fee will cover the employee labor and vehicle costs for the manual meter reads. To opt out, click here to print and complete the opt-out form.

No. AMI technology is only used to gather usage information from your home just like the current meter.

Yes. Customer usage data is sent over a private, dedicated network. Maintaining reliable and secure assets is a top priority for Mississippi Power. All data within this network is fully encrypted, end to end. Mississippi Power is working diligently to stay up-to-date with the changing AMI cyber security requirements.

Yes. The radio frequency signal to and from the meter is well below that of an average cell phone and a fraction of the safe limit established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

We read your meter about the same date each month, but an extra weekend or holiday may cause the date to vary. Your account is billed on the date of the reading. The date of the reading is determined by the location of your home in our service area.

The meter is not reset after each reading. Rather, the meter reader records the reading on the meter, and then the previous month's reading is subtracted from the current month's reading. This difference is the amount of electricity used, and it is reported in kilowatt-hours or kwh. A kwh is equal to one 100-watt light bulb in use for 10 hours. You are charged for each kWh used.

On occasion, because of some unavoidable emergency, it may be necessary to estimate a meter reading. In this case, the words "Estimated Bill" will appear on your bill. Any error, over or under, will be corrected by the next reading of the meter.