March 06, 2024

Waunakee Utilities embraces OpenPoint outage management

Technology Suite

Waunakee Utilities is the first member of WPPI Energy to implement the OpenPoint outage management system under the newly formed partnership between the joint action agency and the technology company.

Dana Karls, Waunakee Utilities manager of customer service and billing, said the system strengthens the connections between their staff and the customers they serve.

“Partnership with OpenPoint has provided much more information for us as we manage utility systems,” Karls said. “It will be a helpful tool for support if we have an outage in the future.”

The OMS facilitates two-way communication between the local utility and its customers, allowing the utility to quickly respond to outages and enhancing its planned outage notifications. Customers will also be able to access the public outage map for real-time updates.

On the utility side, OpenPoint tracks the flow of electricity through the system and provides insight by integrating meter data from the utility’s billing system, making it easier to compile data by area.

Traditional OMS tools can be unnecessarily complex and come at a high cost. Which is why in 2024 the WPPI membership made the decision to partner with OpenPoint to make the service available for all members of the joint action agency.

This partnership is a great example of shared strength through joint action. Some members of WPPI have already been using the system through individual contracts. That experience provided insight into the system when additional members expressed a need to enhance outage management and sought ways to implement it through the joint action agency.

Now two other member utilities are making plans to join them.