Randy Bays President, Sensus

The Internet of Things (IoT) seems to be at the top of almost everyone's mind these days. I regularly hear from customers who want to better understand our capabilities and how we can help them transition from smart grid/gas/water to IoT. They want to use smarter technology and services to make the cities, campuses and communities they serve more connected, competitive and sustainable.

A journey, not a destination
It's a laudable goal; more importantly, it's an attainable one—with the right partner by your side. And we're ready to be that partner. We've been delivering connected "things" for many years, with effective communications technologies, control systems and analytics.

To help us along the way, we've made strategic acquisitions. One of the most significant was the purchase of data analytics company Verdeeco, which helps you turn data into actionable insights. The second was the award-winning research organization, Sentec, which expanded our global engineering resources in emerging and transformational technologies, including those that support IoT.

And we're not standing still. Recent organizational changes have brought into the Sensus fold an additional focus on key enablers of smart infrastructure. Also, our newly announced collaboration with ThingWorx, allows us to extend existing applications of the FlexNet^® network—including Sensus smart water, electric, gas and lighting—with new IoT capabilities or build new IoT-based applications without the need for software coding.

You complete the picture
Partnerships and acquisitions are key strategies for expanding your capabilities, but without candid insight from those using your solutions, you can only go so far. We're fortunate to have engaged customers, who are always willing to share their thoughts to help us improve.

Perhaps the most visible are our Sensus Partner and Advisor Network (SPAN) members. In this issue, we highlight the Distribution Automation (DA) subcommittee. Over the past several months, they've provided invaluable feedback to help us refine our DA product offering, specifically upcoming enhancements to our Automation Control^™ software.

For all the great examples we're aware of, there are countless others whose stories go untold. Don't let that be you. Tell us about an exciting smart implementation in your community. Nominate yourself, a peer, a distributor or Sensus employee for the 2017 Sensus Reach^℠ Awards. This October at the Sensus Reach Conference we'll once again recognize those who have deployed our technology to reach farther and improve the quality of life in their communities.

The commitment behind such stories is inspiring. And it's widespread throughout the Sensus family. You constantly push yourselves to reach farther; we do, too. It's a trait we share. Thank you for your partnership, your trust and your desire to excel. Each day you accomplish great things and remind us that nothing's out of reach.

More than a dozen water leak alerts come into the City of Fountain Valley, California each week through Sensus technology. It's all part of an effort to reduce water use by 20 percent. Restrictions and conservation rebates are some of the ways residents are encouraged to save water.

Those efforts have reached new levels with the city's new smart water system, including the FlexNet communication network, iPERL^® residential and OMNI^™ commercial meters. Now Fountain Valley can:

• See where, and how much, water is being used
• Proactively share data with residents and businesses
• Empower residents to work together to conserve water and prevent leaks

You can get almost anywhere you want to go, provided you know two things: your starting point and your final destination. With a range of products and solutions to meet your latest electricity meter needs and options to create a smarter grid, Sensus is the partner that can help.

Begin at the beginning
You have to know where you're starting from. Let Sensus Phase Detection accompany you on your journey.

Available as a managed service, phase detection works through a patented combination of metrology, analytics and communications. Its capabilities are already built in to many Sensus iConA^™ and Stratus^® electricity meters.

"At its most basic, Sensus Phase Detection helps you determine the accuracy of your installed meter base," said Sensus Senior Director, Professional Services Lynn Scott. "It answers this important question: 'Does the information I have match my actual meter phase installation in the field?'"

And you're off
Phase detection at the meter enables smart grid initiatives that can improve the management of your infrastructure by helping you:

• Detect anomalies
• Manage outages and more efficiently restore power
• Verify the accuracy of storm restoration efforts
• Detect load theft
• Manage and extend the life of transformers
• Distribute loads equally and efficiently

From the comfort of your desk chair
Imagine doing all of those things without ever leaving your office. The cost savings and efficiencies gained are huge. And very real. Each task listed above can be completed remotely without rolling a truck or sending a crew to a location only to discover they weren't the team best equipped to resolve the issue or they didn't have the right equipment needed to address the situation. When the clock is ticking to restore service, you need accurate information—quickly. Otherwise, hours pile up; frustrations mount. Customer goodwill is lost. Not exactly how you pictured your journey ending.

Arrive in style
Whether you've taken the slow and steady route or the fast track, phase detection can help you create a smarter grid. Contact Lynn Scott, Senior Director, Professional Services to learn how Sensus can help you plan your journey.

IoT brings with it the incredible promise of making cities, campuses and communities more connected, livable, economically competitive and sustainable. It can transform your operations and relationship with your customers, opening countless possibilities for you.

The key is understanding how to realize those possibilities, and we can help—together, with our new collaborator, PTC.

Broadening our capabilities in innovative ways
As part of the collaboration, we'll leverage PTC's ThingWorx^® IoT platform to create new applications or expand current ones for users of the FlexNet communication network. With the integration of ThingWorx and the FlexNet system we can quickly extend existing applications—including Sensus smart water, electric, gas and lighting—with new IoT capabilities or build new IoT-based applications without the need for software coding.

Additionally, using Sensus Analytics, you can collect, store and process a vast amount of actionable data from multiple sources and leverage this data to automate IoT applications in your own applications. For example, you could use outdoor light sensor data to create mobile notifications and alerts and improve public safety on smart campuses.

"We chose to partner with PTC because of its industry leadership in IoT innovation and its vast partner ecosystem," said Randolph Wheatley, Vice President, Communications Solutions Marketing. "The integration of the ThingWorx platform with our FlexNet system will help us create a diverse range of IoT applications for our customers to help turn their vision for a connected community into reality."

Sign up for alerts to learn more about the Sensus IoT Solution.

What you do matters. Each day you make profound contributions to the quality of life in your communities. You continually stretch your capacities to reach farther in new and innovative ways.

We want to recognize your efforts. Celebrate them and share them to inspire others. We invite you to nominate yourself or other deserving individual for the 2017 Sensus Reach Awards. This year we're presenting customer awards in two categories.

Sensus Reach Awards – Customer Commercial
This award honors the customer who has reached farther through the application of Sensus technology. They could have done so in many ways:

• Implement a smart water system to better serve customers and conserve water
• Deploy the FlexNet communication network and use the data to save time and money
• Add applications beyond metering, such as CVR, demand response or streetlight control

Share your success or that of a peer, and nominate a Sensus customer today.

Sensus Reach Awards – Customer Community
This award recognizes the Sensus customer that goes above and beyond to make their neighborhoods and towns better places to live, work and play. The recipient:

• Is actively involved in their community and looks for ways to improve their cities and towns
• Doesn't just talk the walk; they walk the walk. They're a model for others to follow.

Tell us about a customer you know that is helping make their community a better place.

Recognize distributors and employees, too
We're also celebrating outstanding efforts by Sensus distributors and employees. Nominate a distributor or acknowledge a Sensus employee who's gone the extra mile for you.

It's easy to recommend someone. Follow these nomination instructions, and submit your entry today. All applications must be received by 5:00 pm (EDT) on Friday, July 14, 2017.

Recipients will be announced at the 2017 Sensus Reach Conference in Dallas, Texas with their success stories on display throughout the event. In addition, customer and distributor winners will receive complimentary registration fees.

Many of you followed the link in our last issue and completed our reader survey. For that, we say thank you for providing us with data and insight to make Sensus Customer Connection better.

We learned several things from your responses. Some surprising and some not so much. For starters, we were pleased to hear how much you enjoy the newsletter. From content to frequency, your answers indicate you're overwhelmingly satisfied with it.

That's not to say there isn't room for improvement. Of course there is, and we pledge to seek out ways we can enhance the newsletter to ensure it remains a valuable resource for you.

Information you most want
Many of you indicated you'd like to hear more about customer implementations as well as upcoming products and solutions. While we've certainly got the latter covered, we could use your help with the former. Contact Paula Dickerson and tell her about the interesting ways you're using our technology. You might be the next customer highlighted in the newsletter.

Another request was for more information about end-user training opportunities. That news is readily available to you 24/7/365 on the Sensus Smart Start blog. There you can access the most up-to-date training materials, request remote learning events and view curricula for existing role-based education. That information is also available by clicking the Education icon on the home page of our customer portal, My Sensus Connection.

Congratulations to our lucky winner
Who won the drawing for the $100 gift card? Calvin Musgrove from Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Congratulations, Calvin!

The Xylem acquisition of Sensus offers new opportunities for you, our customers. It's the start of a new story—one we're excited to tell. Here we'll share the latest news on how we will help you better serve your customers and communities.

In early April, Xylem announced some organizational changes that will enable us to better meet customer needs and accelerate our growth.

Creating the right structure is essential to enabling a one company approach. In addition to Sensus, Randy Bays will now head Xylem Analytics and Visenti. The move brings together businesses that focus on advanced sensing technologies, instrumentation and software that enable smart infrastructure and will facilitate increased collaboration in this key area.

This opportunity will enable us to:

• Deliver more customer value
• Strengthen innovation and technology
• Improve operational efficiency

We'll be sure to keep you up to date as we move forward with our integration.

Recently, we caught up with Dan Zaccagnino, Chair of the Sensus Partner and Advisor Network (SPAN) Distribution Automation (DA) Subcommittee and Engineer, Distribution Planning, NV Energy, to ask him about the subcommittee's goals for 2017. Read on to see what he had to say.

When asked to name the group's most important role, Dan didn't hesitate. "It's to learn about new product development and provide customer feedback for improving products."

This year, they'll have an additional focus: reactivating the committee and expanding its membership. Complementing that focus are the many exciting technology advancements in store for people looking to install intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) on the distribution system, making it the perfect time to be a subcommittee member.

Special opportunities to learn
Learning about new products is what first sparked Dan's interest in SPAN and the subcommittee. After NV Energy selected the FlexNet communication network to expand its Distribution Automation and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) capabilities, he immersed himself in understanding just what those technologies could do for the utility and its customers.

Dan especially welcomes the opportunity to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experiences across the member base. Their next area of emphasis will be the upcoming release of the new version of Automation Control^™ software, expected later this year. Members got a sneak peak of upcoming features at their kick-off meeting in February. Plus, they were able to share their feedback and suggestions for improvement with Sensus during the development process.

When they transition to the new version, they're already ahead of the game with advanced knowledge and a network of peers to call upon for advice and tips to ensure the upgrade process runs smoothly.

Become a member
Want to take advantage of these special perks? It's easy. You just have to join SPAN and take an active role in one of the subcommittees.

Take it from Dan: "Every customer should join a SPAN subcommittee. It's your place to voice concerns, get them addressed and influence future product development. It's also a great place to learn about new technologies that will meet your future needs."

To learn more about the DA subcommittee, contact Dan at [email protected] or 702-402-2313 for more information.

We're bound for a future of renewed infrastructure. A reimagined power grid is on the horizon—one that must accommodate technologies like renewables and distributed energy sources.

With data about every aspect of your distribution system and no shortage of opinions about how best to grow it, how can you make sense of it all?

Let us help you separate smart grid facts from fiction with our Fact or Fiction series.

Test Your Knowledge

• American Gas Association (AGA) Operations Conference and
  Biennial Exhibition
  May 2-5, 2017
  Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL
  Booth 611
  
  
• LightFair International 2017
  May 9-11, 2017
  Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
  Booth 5006
  
  
• American Water Works Association (AWWA) ACE 17
  June 11-14, 2017
  Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA
  Booth 2315

  Join us on Tuesday, June 13, from 3-3:30 p.m. (EDT) when Mark Sprague, Field Services Manager, City of Fountain Valley, California, and Sensus Senior Product Manager, Tom Galuska will demonstrate ways to "Capture Leaks through AMI".
  
  Later that day from 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. (EDT), Mark Moore, Utility Controller, City of Fairmont, West Virginia, and Sensus Product Marketing Manager, Dan Harris will help you learn to "Measure Smarter, Not Harder".

• American Public Power Association (APPA) National Conference
  June 16-21, 2017
  Orlando World Center Marriott, Orlando, FL
  Booth TBD
  
  
• Municipal Smart Grid Summit
  June 25-27, 2017
  Saddlebrook Resort and Spa, Tampa, FL
  Awards Gala Sponsor
  Booth TBD
  
  

• Nestled in the shadow of the Cascade Mountain range, the City of Monroe, Washington is a small community growing at a rapid pace. With new growth comes the need for new infrastructure to support it. That's why the City of Monroe Public Works Department selected our smart water technology and Software as a Service (SaaS). Comprised of Sensus OMNI and iPERL water meters, the FlexNet communication network and Sensus Analytics, the technology enables the utility to reduce leaks and change the conversation with its customers.
  
  
• Are your C&I meters delivering on their full revenue potential? Large meters in C&I services represent 40 to 60 percent of a utility's revenue. Maintaining their performance is crucial. Presenters in this recorded webinar moderated by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) explore how implementing an ongoing large meter testing program may improve your meter performance, reduce non-revenue water and deliver on meeting your infrastructure's full revenue potential. Watch it now.
  
  
• We are pleased to announce availability of the R100NA FlexNet^® collector, the latest addition to our North American communication network portfolio. Designed for filling in network coverage for groups of meters in hard-to-reach locations, the R100NA makes 100 percent coverage more attainable and cost effective than ever. It also eliminates the need for costly walk-by/drive-by end point reads in blind spots or a complex mix of communication methods. No compromises are necessary, and no meter is out of reach.
  
  
• Sensus Vice President of Strategic Solution Development Colin Walsby speaks to The Future of the Digital Water Utility in Xylem Impeller.
  
  
• Sensus Senior Director of Global Water Marketing Dan Pinney offers best practices for establishing and utilizing a smart water system in Smart Water, Fewer Leaks in Water and Wastes Digest.
  
  
• Also in Water & Wastes Digest, Dan Pinney shares how Richmond County Improves Water System with Smart Metering Technology.
  
  
• Sensus Marketing Director for Lighting Solutions Charlie Nobles talks about Six Big Benefits of Smart Lighting Solutions in Pittsburgh Engineer, page 11.