Each customer meter is fitted with a Meter Transmission Unit (MTU) within the meter box. The City of Melissa uses Aclara Meter Transmission Units. Each hour, the MTU reads the mechanical meter and sends the read to Data Collection Units (DCU) throughout the City. The City currently has 6 active DCUs. Four times daily, the DCUs send data to Network Control Computers (NCC).
Please note, that a threshold of up to 24 hours should be given due to possible timing. The customer will need to take written notes of the on-site reading and times, then check the online system later to compare the digital data to the physically viewed information. If there is an issue with a particular hourly read, the next batch should send over the new readings and it levels out within that transmission period. The NCC database collects, validates, processes, stores, and transmits meter readings which eventually result in a customer bill. Learn more about the Aclara STAR Network.