The pilot will assess how technology can improve service, help customers make informed decisions about energy use and contribute to lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions.
Anne Pramaggiore, president and chief operating officer, ComEd, said: “This pilot could help place Illinois in the forefront of states transitioning their electrical grids to meet customers’ needs. Our customers’ needs are evolving, and we have an opportunity to meet and exceed their expectations through smart technologies.”
ComEd said that its customers will start receiving their new meters as early as November. If ComEd’s application for $175m in federal matching funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is approved, the number of customers that receive new smart meters could more than double from 131,000 to 310,000 customers.
When the pilot is fully implemented in early summer 2010, the new technology will provide customers with daily usage information, accessible through the internet, to help monitor their energy use and manage energy costs. It will also allow ComEd to begin assessing the potential operational, environmental and other benefits of smart meters for all ComEd customers.
The pilot will also test customer interaction with energy management features and technologies including alternative pricing plans, web interfaces, in-home displays, home area networks and programmable thermostats.
ComEd plans to install the meters between November 2009 and May 2010 in nine towns served by its Maywood operating center including Bellwood, Berwyn, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Oak Park and River Forest, the Humboldt Park area in Chicago, and Tinley Park.
The cost of the pilot is approximately $69m. During 2010, this will increase the average residential customer’s bill by less than $5.00 a year.
In August, ComEd submitted an application to the Department of Energy (DOE) for $175m in federal matching funds from ARRA, which is designed to accelerate the modernization of the nation’s electric system and promote economic recovery through job creation.
ComEd also submitted a petition to the ICC in September to approve the utility’s request to allow ComEd to recover remaining costs of the stimulus projects after receiving the 50% match from the DOE.
The DOE stimulus funding would also expand investment in other automation technology to make the transmission and distribution systems smarter.
Terry Donnelly, executive vice president of operations, ComEd, said: “Expansion of smart grid technologies will provide additional information to the ICC and other stakeholders as policies for statewide smart grid deployment are developed.
“This will play an important role in building a more energy efficient and independent future for Illinois by delivering higher levels of reliability and providing customers unprecedented choices and control.”
