Equitable to improve billing accuracy by eliminating meter reading estimates
while improving customer security and satisfaction
PITTSBURGH, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Equitable Resources Inc.
(NYSE: EQT) announced today that beginning in late June 2005, Equitable Gas
Company will begin to install a Mobile Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system
throughout its utility service territory in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The deployment includes the installation of nearly 260,000 Itron radio-
based AMR devices on Equitable's natural gas utility customers' meters. This
new technology will enable Equitable Gas to virtually eliminate estimated
bills, dramatically reduce the number of times a service representative may
ever need to enter the customer's home, improve our billing accuracy and
enable the company to focus our resources on providing safe and reliable
service. The implementation and installation process will begin later this
month and will be completed by September 2006. Customers of Equitable Gas
will receive a post card notification approximately two-weeks prior to the
installation. Installation of this technology requires no disruption of
natural gas service, and for customers that have outside meters no home access
is required.
"We're deploying this AMR technology as part of our ongoing efforts to
improve customer service and reduce our costs," said Randall Crawford,
President of Equitable Gas Company. "The use of this technology will also
improve our relationship with more than 60,000 customers that currently have
indoor meter sets, as the AMR technology virtually eliminates the need to
disrupt our customers' daily schedules to read their meters. We anticipate
that by employing this technology, we will dramatically reduce the need to
estimate meter reads which will improve our billing accuracy and ultimately
work to reduce operating costs across our system." Crawford concluded.
Tru Check Meter Services, a contractor for Equitable Gas, will be
completing the installation. Tru Check service personnel can be identified by
the logos on their trucks, their florescent green colored shirts, and photo
identification badges issued by Equitable Gas. The installation will take
less than a half-hour and will not affect gas service to the home or business.
If the meter is outside the home or business, no internal access is required.
About Equitable Gas Company
Equitable Gas Company is a division of Equitable Resources Inc.
(NYSE: EQT), an integrated energy company with emphasis on natural gas
distribution operations, Appalachian basin natural gas supply, natural-gas
transmission and leading-edge energy-management services. Equitable Resources
Inc., its divisions and its subsidiaries offer natural gas products and energy
services to wholesale and retail customers through three business segments:
Equitable Utilities, Equitable Supply and NORESCO. The service territory
primarily comprises southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, portions of
eastern Kentucky and portions of western Virginia. Equitable Gas Company
serves more than 270,000 natural gas consumers.
SOURCE Equitable Resources Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.eqt.com
CONTACT:
David J. Spigelmyer, Director, External
Affairs of Equitable Resources Inc., +1-412-553-5739, or
dspigelmyer@eqt.com ; or Mima Scarpelli, Vice-president, Investor
Relations and Corporate Communications of Itron Inc.,
+1-509-891-3565, or mima.scarpelli@itron.com
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