Sensus FlexNet Project
Georgia
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Enhanced Billing. Optimized Resource Utilization. Superior Customer Service.
The City of Hartwell partnered with Equipment Controls Company (ECCO) to upgrade existing natural gas meters using Sensus FlexNet technology—transforming legacy assets into a smart metering system. As part of the project, we performed retrofits on existing residential, commercial, and industrial meters with SmartPoint® technology, extending the life of current infrastructure while enabling remote data collection.
This streamlined approach is already boosting efficiency across a large service area. Only four FlexNet devices and two base stations are needed to cover a wide rural region, including high-demand poultry processing sites. With remote meter reading, just eight employees now manage the system without sending trucks out, saving time and resources.
The project was completed on time and on budget, delivering improved billing accuracy, better customer service, and a future-ready utility system—with minimal infrastructure and maximum impact.
PARTNERSHIP
Together, we navigated challenges, brainstormed solutions, and ultimately delivered a project that shows what teamwork can accomplish. The collective efforts, dedication, and expertise that each partner brought to the table, allowed us to deliver a project that we can all be proud of.
Jon Herschell Hartwell City Manager
Audie Laviolette Public Works Director
Project Start Date
TIMELINEPROJECT
Network SA and RNI Training
The Hartwell AMI project was completed on schedule and within budget, with planning, retrofitting, and system activation executed in carefully coordinated phases. From initial assessments to full deployment of Sensus FlexNet technology and SmartPoint® retrofits on residential, commercial, and industrial meters, each milestone was designed to minimize service disruption while maximizing long-term efficiency.
The result: a seamless transition to a smart utility system, fully operational and delivering measurable results on an efficient timeline.
BASE STATIONS
We installed two comprehensive base stations that handle the reading of meter data and transmit it to the cloud.
These all in one base stations read and communicate gas usage data to the tower, ensuring seamless information transfer.
Carter Street Water Tower Base Station
The Carter Street Water Tower serves as one of two key communication hubs for Hartwell’s AMI system. Standing 175 feet tall and equipped with an omni-directional antenna, the tower ensures wide-area coverage for the Sensus FlexNet network.
Its height and strategic location allow for reliable, uninterrupted data transmission across the city’s large and rural service area, maximizing system performance with minimal infrastructure.
Grounding the Base Station: A 6-foot copper grounding rod was installed, with a copper wire securely connected to the base station to ensure proper electrical grounding and system protection.
Base Station Footing:
A grounding rod was installed at the base station footing, with a copper wire securely tied to the base station to ensure safe and effective electrical grounding.
Carter Street Water Tower Base Station
Expanded View: A wider, elevated photo was captured showing the full height of the structure leading up to the base station, providing a clear visual of the installation and antenna placement.
Hart County Water Tower
Base Station
The second base station in Hartwell is located on the Hart County Water Tower, which stands 160 feet tall. This elevated position enhances the reach and reliability of the Sensus FlexNet network, allowing seamless communication across the city’s wide service area.
Working in tandem with the Carter Street Water Tower, the two base stations provide full coverage with minimal infrastructure—ensuring strong signal strength, efficient data transmission, and consistent performance throughout the region.
The Hart County Water Tower base station is fully equipped to support Hartwell’s smart utility system. A GPS mushroom antenna (left) provides time sync, while a cellular antenna (right) transmits data to the Sensus cloud. This setup ensures fast, reliable communication across the entire service area.
The Sensus panel antenna broadcasts in a 90-degree sector, focusing signal strength where it's needed most.
RESIDENTIAL SMARTPOINTS
SmartPoint GM Transceiver
For Residential Gas Meter Applications
As part of Hartwell’s move to smarter utility management, residential meters were upgraded with Sensus SmartPoints.
Paired with SmartPoint modules and the Sensus FlexNet network, these SmartPoints enable remote monitoring, improve billing accuracy, and enhance overall system performance.
COMMERCIAL SMARTPOINTS
Both the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut locations are equipped with commercial gas meters. Attached just below the index is a Sensus SmartPoint® module, installed between the index and the meter body. This device transforms the traditional meter into a smart meter, enabling remote data collection, enhanced billing accuracy, and seamless integration into the city’s AMI system.
INDUSTRIAL SMARTPOINTS
Typical gas meter setup supplying a poultry house. Approximately 90 poutry houses across Hart County are now equipped with Sensus SmartPoint® modules, enabling remote monitoring, accurate usage tracking, and improved utility management in these high-demand areas.
Gas Meter Installation - Mounted on the front pipe is a 900GM SmartPoint® module, which transmits both corrected and uncorrected gas readings. This setup enables remote monitoring through the Sensus FlexNet system, improving billing accuracy and operational efficiency in rural, high-demand locations like poultry houses.
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THANK YOU
The City of Hartwell’s smart metering upgrade represents a major step torward in utility innovation—delivering enhanced billing, optimized operations, and superior customer service.
With the help of ECCO and key partners, legacy infrastructure was transformed into an efficient, future-ready system using Sensus FlexNet technology. Completed on time and on budget, this project now supports a wide service area with minimal equipment and maximum results.
Special thanks to Jon Herschell, City Manager, and Audie Laviolette, Public Works Director, for their leadership, and to Utility Solutions of America, led by Gary St. Clair, for their expert installation support. Together, we’ve built a smarter, stronger utility system for the City of Hartwell.
