ATCO takes off to read the gas meters

ATCO Gas launches into the sky to accomplish a task that once saw meter readers brave a glove of locked doors and dogs of the Territorial Family

to read truck counters mobile aircraft, using transmitters to read data from 1.2 million customers at approximately 4500 feet above their homes.

Ryan Germaine, Vice President of Operations for the Calgary Region "

" With that, we will probably drive about 600,000 fewer kilometers a year, so from a safety standpoint, we are reducing the risk Incidentally, "he said, noting that the energy giant has gone from hand-reading door-to-door meters to mobile collection about five years ago. [19659005] "We will fly high enough so that residents do not notice anything ng. "

Aircraft, like the trucks that preceded them, use electronic receivers that collect radio readings from natural gas meters, which allows data to be collected simply by pbading through a signal. [19659003] 99% of them are effective when they are collected by vehicle, and until now the airborne pilot has enjoyed similar success.

"When we do these flights, we we can do Calgary in one day, "said Germaine, data collection fails, ATCO returns to its roots of manual meter reading.

For ATCO and Direct Energy customers, the transition could disrupting some short-term billing cycles, said Germaine

This means that between July and September, some customers may receive two bills in one month while others receive none. , which means a The bill was larger than normal the following month.

Germaine said that once the system is in place, people will return to a regular

As for the future, Germaine said that it is possible that someday unmanned drones can be used to collect natural gas readings, but we are not there yet.

"This is not inconceivable" "

" But realistically at this point, the technology is not quite there. "

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