100,000+
meters installed
W-2
crews
<2%
QA error rate
48
states served
Basement and indoor meter replacements involve a volatile set of variables: appointments, access conditions, crawl spaces, and rigorous compliance documentation. At DB Utility, we account for each detail before our crew ever mobilizes. The result is a program purpose-built for the technical and social complexities of indoor work that arrives organized, executes cleanly, and closes out with a complete data set.
How We Work
Independent QA on every work order
Every work order on an inside-set program clears an independent verification step before it routes to billing: meter ID, final read, leak check, pipe material documentation. Nothing is self-certified by the installer who did the work.
Compliance built into the workflow
We have engineered our field workflows so that compliance data is captured as a mandatory, automated output of the installation. Lead and copper pipe identification, cross-connection records, and essential LCRR safety checks are captured in real time. By making documentation an inseparable part of the physical install, your program closes out with a complete, audit-ready compliance record.
Strike-to-anchor deployment
For programs that run longer than a few weeks, we start with a traveling W-2 strike team that sets up the operation, establishes production, and locks in the QA standard. Locally hired crews then transition in for the anchor phase, with the same process and the same quality bar already in place.
From kickoff to close-out
Inside-set programs are best served with substantial pre-mobilization coordination. Front-loading the planning is what keeps the install phase clean.
Pre-mobilization data review
Pre-mobilization starts with a full audit of the meter inventory and address database. Inside-set programs are especially vulnerable to database errors. Residential address mismatches, access type misclassifications, and meter size discrepancies caught early save significant rework on the back end.
Access and scheduling coordination
The appointment workflow is established with your team before Day 1, whether scheduling runs through your AMI vendor, your utility, or DB directly. Every no-access property gets a reason code and a rescheduled attempt.
Week 1 ramp
Appointment sequencing, building orientation, and skip protocol setup are planned and priced into every program before mobilization. Week 1 moves at the pace the work actually requires, and your utility isn't absorbing the cost of a ramp period that wasn't planned for.
Full production with dual-layer QA
The installer completes the swap and documents the work order. A separate data tech independently verifies the meter ID, captures the final read, performs a leak check, and approves the record before it routes to billing. Every work order clears two verifications before it touches an invoice.
Skip resolution and close-out
Deferred installations run as a parallel workflow throughout the program. Final resolution happens in the last two weeks as a dedicated phase. Close-out delivers a complete data export — every install mapped to meter ID, MIU (meter interface unit) ID, GPS coordinate, and address — in a format configured for your billing system.
What this program can include
- Residential basement and crawl space meter access and replacement
- Wire run to exterior
- Cross-connection survey: photo, serial, type, condition, location
- Lead and copper pipe identification per applicable state requirements
- MIU (meter interface unit) and endpoint installation, scanned and verified at close of each work order
- Leak check performed and documented before every record is submitted
- Customer interaction per standardized four-step protocol: introduction, water-off notice, timeline, close-out confirmation
- Regular production reporting and formal summaries to utility PM contact throughout the program