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Itron Inc., a global provider of high-end smart meter solutions, announced on May 10 that Bangor Hydro Electric Company is using its software to migrate from automated meter reading to an advanced metering infrastructure.
Bangor Hydro Electric Company (BHEC) serves 117,000 customers in a 5,275-square-mile territory in eastern and east coastal Maine. Since 2005, Bangor Hydro has installed smart meters in 97 percent of its customers’ homes and businesses. But, to date, the smart meters have been used only for automated meter reading and outage detection.
In January 2010, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved an investment of nearly $8 million in Smart Grid infrastructure for BHEC. Now, BHEC will use Itron technology to provide detailed hourly-interval usage data and dynamic, day-ahead pricing information through a new Web portal—empowering customers to manage their electricity consumption and costs by reducing usage during peak pricing periods. Field trials will begin in the coming months.
Itron Enterprise Edition™ Meter Data Management (IEE MDM) is a flexible and scalable solution that will enable Bangor Hydro to calculate billing determinants for multiple pricing plans, such as its day-ahead hourly pricing program. IEE MDM validates the meter data, stores it in a central repository, and calculates billing determinants, which are distributed to billing and Web applications. IEE Customer Care presents the data in an easy-to-understand format at the customer portal.
“Our project with Itron directly aligns with our business strategy to provide in-home energy management solutions to benefit customers, support energy independence, and provide tools for customers to manage their electricity consumption and costs in a more efficient and informed manner,” said Bangor Hydro President and COO Gerry Chase.
“With the Itron Enterprise Edition family of products, we’ve developed a proven, scalable meter data management and customer engagement solution that meets the needs of utilities moving to a more intelligent grid,” said Julie Hance, Vice President of Software Solutions for Itron. “We’re excited to partner with Bangor Hydro to help their smart metering vision become a reality.”
Bangor Hydro is the only Maine utility currently using this technology—which could result in savings of as much as $2.5 million each year for BHEC’s customers by providing them with necessary tools to use electricity more efficiently to lower their electricity bills. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
For more information, see the announcement.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by
Rich Steeves
