New system lets SW Gas read meters from the street

The utility recently finished installing gas meters with built-in radio transmitters that allow workers to get readings from the street. In addition to keeping meter readers off customers' property, the electronic devices increase efficiency and reduce costs, Southwest Gas spokeswoman Libby Howell said.

Southwest Gas used to have 36 meter readers in Tucson, but now it has only five — one reader can get data from 60 homes in five minutes, Howell said. Fewer meter readers also means fewer gas-guzzling vehicles on the road, Howell said.

Still, no one lost their job because the company installed the electronic meters. The employees took other positions and a few chose to retire voluntarily, Howell said.

"We do have a really lean work force," she said.

Southwest Gas, which has customers in California, Nevada and Arizona, has added the "encoder, receiver, transmitter" — or ERT — devices to all its meters. Southern Arizona was the last division to get the meters.

"Southern Arizona is one of our most challenging areas because of it's large metropolitan area and it's rural areas," Howell said.

Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas has about 957,000 customers in Arizona and 277,000 in the Tucson area.

RATE CASE PENDING

Southwest Gas Corp. is still waiting for a recommendation from an administrative law judge on its proposed rate increase.

Last August, because of rising costs, Southwest Gas sought to add about $4 to the average monthly residential bill. In June, Southwest Gas argued its case for the increase before an Arizona Corporation Commission administrative law judge in Phoenix.

The judge will make a recommendation to the full commission, which will then schedule a hearing and take the rate increase into consideration.

Southwest Gas originally requested that the rate increase go into effect Oct. 1, but that didn't happen.

Commission spokeswoman Rebecca Wilder said she couldn't speculate on when the judge might make the ruling.

— Dale Quinn