Field Meter Technician

Company Summary Statement PPL Electric Utilities delivers safe, reliable and affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses throughout its 29-county service territory in eastern and central Pennsylvania. Through smart investments and innovation, it has built one of the most advanced electric grids in the United States. And, with over a century of expertise, PPL Electric remains focused on continuing to build the utility of the future, today. Regularly ranking among the country’s best utility companies for reliability and customer satisfaction, PPL Electric has won numerous awards, including 30 J.D. Power Awards for providing top-quality service to residential and business customers. PPL Electric is a major employer and an active supporter of the communities it serves. Empowering employees, community members and initiatives across its service territory through volunteerism and investments in organizations that support education, sustainability, and wellbeing.

Overview To perform technical assignments for providing proper installation and maintenance of meter equipment that ensures accurate revenue energy measurement on the system.

This is a union position and the successful candidate will be a member of IBEW Local 1600.

The starting hourly rate is $56.173.

This position is based out of PPL's Lehigh Service Center.

Responsibilities DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: Duties include but are not limited to:

• Installs, inspects, maintains, tests, removes, surveys and verifies electric meters and metering systems, instrument transformers and various meter peripherals such as KYZ pulses and customer communication meter data links. Investigates failed or damaged metering. Investigates and resolves overloaded metering. Performs formal meter irregularity investigations. Assignments may involve working from ladders or aerial equipment.
• Performs certified PUC accuracy tests in the field to resolve customer billing complaints.
• Appropriately records meter data for billing and equipment inventory as required.
• Follows company’s rules and regulations pertaining to meter and service installations and Underwriter’s codes.
• Selects the proper meter, instrument transformer ratios and types to correctly size revenue metering installations.
• Detects and reports the possibility of current diversion and any possible theft of metered revenue.
• Reviews meter service requests for accuracy and initiates corrective action to make sure customer metering requests are provided correctly to meet the customer’s service request.
• Monitors meter service requests to accomplish delivery and installation of appropriate metering equipment as scheduled and on time.
• Interacts with electrical contractors for meter concerns, reviews and accepts switchgear and instrument transformer cabinets/mountings with respect to conformance with the Rules for Electric Meter and Service Installations (REMSI).
• Maintains appropriate meter and instrument transformer inventory for the region along with regional Customer Rep A/B (4211)/3911).
• Monitors and evaluates PUC Installation-check audits and follows-up with corrective action if required.
• Reviews meter problems identified by Site Scan and takes corrective action as required. Follows investigation of site scan problems to resolution.
• Understands the technical operating characteristics of AMI meters at residential, commercial and industrial customer sites to investigate and resolve meter communication problems identified by AMI Operations (TNS/MV90).
• Understand communication basics of Meter to In- Home displays and troubleshoot Smart Meter concerns and their integration with customer in-home devices.
• Works with Supervisor, C & I Metering Services, Support Engineer/Senior Engineer and Customer Rep A/B to schedule/coordinate outages with customers/contractors and Distribution Operations crews for the installation and maintenance of metering.
• Hold Permit and Tag authority and maintain (Energy Control Process) certification required to perform the job duties listed.
• Under the direction of Meter Technician (2782) assist with AMI Substation Communication equipment as required performing maintenance and troubleshooting on AMI Substation Communication Devices.
• Installs voltage and current recording equipment for monitoring customer complaints at the direction of the regional customer support engineers.
• At the request and under the direction of the Meter Technician (2782), installs power quality equipment. Reads PQ data from test equipment and provides the data to appropriate meter engineer or meter technician as required.
• When appropriate, use approved hot line equipment and appropriate PPE to operate primary 12kv fuse links to de-energize 480 volt services to allow work on metering equipment (limited to opening and closing devices only)

Qualifications

• Graduate of a 2-year Electronic Engineering Technology or Electrical Engineering Technology degree program from a school/program which has been accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation agency or has successfully passed the PPL Engineering Aide Qualification Exam.
• Possess appropriate computer skills to use Microsoft Office and other required meter programming and other related software applications.
• Must have a valid motor vehicle operator’s license and obtain required CDL medical certification to operate vehicles up to 17,500 pounds gross weight.
• Successfully passing the EEI CAST test or its replacement.