San Jose Water Files Application for Investment in Advanced Metering Infrastructure

San Jose Water, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SJW Group (NYSE: SJW), announced today it has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to deploy Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) throughout its service area. AMI technology includes advanced meters that can take up to hourly readings daily, along with a data transmission system to provide water usage information to customers in near real time. Currently, meter reads are performed manually and are provided to most customers once every two months as part of their bill.

The filing comes on the heels of a successful pilot study completed earlier this year, which showed significant customer benefits of the AMI program, including 24-hour access to water usage data, early leak detection, and timely notification of usage spikes. In addition to enhancing customers’ access to water use information, AMI has been shown to encourage more efficient use of water and preserve water resources, supporting statewide initiatives to drive water conservation.

“California is still feeling the impact of our most recent severe drought. And, the reality of future droughts has changed the way people think about water,” stated Andrew Gere, President and COO of San Jose Water. “Customers want to know how they can manage their water consumption. AMI is a critical investment in our infrastructure that aligns with our goals of environmental stewardship and innovation as a solution. This technology would allow customers to more effectively monitor and control their usage and preserve valuable water resources – while complying with new state conservation standards and minimizing our carbon footprint.”

Since California’s historic drought (2014-2017), the Governor and State Water Resources Control Board have put in place permanent water use restrictions and other policies that make conservation a way of life for all Californians. Senate Bill 606 and Assembly Bill 1668, both signed into law by the Governor, will define urban efficiency standards for both indoor and outdoor use, and address the need to minimize water loss through leaks. Beginning in 2022, these laws set initial indoor consumption at 55 gallons per capita per day, gradually dropping to 50 gallons per capita per day by 2030. Enforcement is scheduled to begin in January 2025.

San Jose Water’s filing requests an implementation schedule that would complete installation by the end of 2024. Operation of these meters is intended to begin by January 2025 to coincide with the anticipated enforcement of the new urban water efficiency standards. AMI deployment by San Jose Water is subject to CPUC review and approval.

About San Jose Water

Founded in 1866, San Jose Water is an investor owned public utility, and is one of the largest and most technically sophisticated urban water systems in the United States. Serving over one million people in the greater San Jose metropolitan area, San Jose Water also provides services to other utilities including operations and maintenance, billing, and backflow testing. San Jose Water is owned by SJW Group, a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SJW. SJW Group also owns: Connecticut Water Company, Avon Water Company and Heritage Village Company in Connecticut; Maine Water Company in Maine; and SJWTX, Inc. (dba Canyon Lake Water Service Company) in Texas. To learn more about San Jose Water, visit: sjwater.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "strategy," or "anticipates," or the negative of those words or other comparable terminology.

The accuracy of such statements is subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, but not limited to, the following factors: (1) implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure by San Jose Water is subject to the review and approval of the California Public Utilities Commission and there is no assurance that the company will obtain approval of its application; (2) the effect of water, utility, environmental and other governmental policies and regulations, including actions concerning rates, authorized return on equity, authorized debt-to-equity ratios, capital expenditures and other decisions; (3) changes in demand for water and other products and services; (4) unanticipated weather conditions and changes in seasonality; (5) climate change and the effects thereof; (6) catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, terrorist acts, physical attacks, cyber-attacks, or other similar occurrences that could adversely affect our facilities, operations, financial condition, results of operations and reputation; (7) the risk of work stoppages, strikes and other labor-related actions; (8) changes in general economic, political, business and financial market conditions; (9) the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, which can be affected by various factors, including credit ratings, changes in interest rates, compliance with regulatory requirements, compliance with the terms and conditions of our outstanding indebtedness, and general market and economic conditions; and (10) legislative and economic developments.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

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