Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BLACK HILLS ENERGY CORP.
BLACK HILLS ENERGY CORP. Rapid City, South Dakota-based company. In July 2008, Black Hills Energy Corp. announced its purchase of Iowa's Aquila Inc., the major supplier of natural gas in the Dubuque area. Along with purchases in four other states, the acquisition was the largest in the company's history--doubling the employee base to 2,200 and quintupling the customer base.
In 2010 Black Hills Energy began installing wireless meter-reading technology in Dubuque. AMR transmitters were installed on approximately 25,000 residential natural gas meters. Most businesses were switched to AMR in 2011. The new technology allowed the company to read meters with a received placed in a company vehicle that passed the residential meter. This eliminated the need for service personnel to individually read each meter. AMR reduced the need to estimate meter readings where the meter was placed in an inaccessible area.
The company partnered with DUBUQUE 2.0, the City of Dubuque, and IBM Research for the Smarter Natural Gas Pilot Study. This project utilized the AMR units from 250 volunteer households to give participants information and tools needed to make better choices on the use of natural gas. The two-year study allowed Black Hill Energy to provide anonymous data about gas usage from the volunteer households to the City and IBM for research purposes.
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Source:
Ernst, Mark. "Black Hills Energy Brings AMR to Dubuque," Julien's Journal, April 2011, p. 62
