Hey, Texas.
Meet Ami, your new energy assistant.

In order to deliver you more affordable and reliable energy, we need to introduce new technologies. The introduction of advanced meters is the first step in modernizing our power grid and building a smarter energy future. In fact, the majority of utilities across the United States have installed advanced meters.

Unlike electric meters, advanced meters are digital and can record energy usage in 15-minute increments. Advanced meters allow a secure, two-way communication between your home’s energy usage and us at Entergy. This new communication will allow us to bring you great benefits.

Advanced meters will provide a number of future benefits, including new online tools to help you better manage your energy usage and potentially save money on your bills, improved customer service due to the deeper level of insight into your energy usage, quicker and more accurate detection of outages, reduced costs due to the elimination of on-site meter reading, faster detection of electricity theft and faster connection and disconnection of service.

The goal of advanced meters is to help you understand and manage your energy usage so that you can make smarter energy choices. These smarter choices can lead to energy conservation and possibly lower bills.

However, you may have noticed that since January 2018, your bill has included a small amount to recover the costs we incur in preparation for upgrading to the advanced metering infrastructure. But we believe that the potential benefits will far outweigh the overall costs of meter deployment.

The choice is 100% up to you. But if you do choose to opt out, you’ll be charged a one-time service and administration fee of $63.50, in addition to a monthly manual meter-reading fee of $21.80, which will be added to your monthly bill.

Installation of the meters will begin in 2019, with expected completion in 2021. We will inform you in advance when we’re coming to your home or business to install your meter.

Prior to your meter upgrade, you’ll receive a phone call from us letting you know when your meter upgrade will take place. The process will take only a few minutes but may result in a temporary loss of power.

Before the installer begins, they’ll knock on your door so you can be prepared for any brief electric outages. If you have any concerns about the upgrade or loss of power, please let your installer know when he or she arrives. If you are receiving an upgraded gas meter module, there will be no interruption of gas service.

If there is no one at the premises, the installer will simply upgrade your meter. If the installer cannot gain access to your meter, a door hanger will be left with more information about how you can reschedule your upgrade.

More than half of homes and businesses in the United States currently have advanced meters. They operate by using radio frequency, similar to many common devices such as mobile phones and appliances around the home. Many electronic devices (including your television, microwave and baby monitor) use RF technology.

This technology has been deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration, Federal Communications Commission and World Health Organization. For more detailed information about the safety of these meters, you can visit our health and safety page at Energyfuture[OpCo].com/AMIsafety.

Data security has been and always will be of utmost importance to us at . We’re committed to continue to provide the highest level of protection to your privacy and data. To view our data policy, Energyfuture[OpCo].com/AMIsecurity.

Once your advanced meter is fully up and running, there will not be any need for a meter reader to come to your home. You may receive a visit on occasion from a field employee to test or maintain equipment.

Should you want any further information about the benefits of advanced meters or the reasons for upgrading our technology, you can visit Energyfuture[OpCo].com.