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PCCA Journal|2

nd

Quarter 2015

28

dent of electric operations asset manage-

ment. The group shared best practices

and discussed opportunities to work with

the DOE on strategies for more climate-

resilient U.S. energy infrastructure.

“California is feeling the impacts of

extreme weather from severe storms to

extended drought conditions, which is

why our efforts are focused on building

strong systems and testing our emer-

gency preparedness to help get commu-

nities back on their feet quickly when

a natural disaster occurs,” said Geisha

Williams, executive vice president of

electric operations for PG&E.

ComEd Installs One Millionth Smart Meter

C

omEd announced in April that it had installed

its one-millionth smart meter in its service

territory. The mission of installing nearly four

million smart meters began in 2013 and, on

an accelerated timeline path, is expected to be

complete in 2018—three years ahead of schedule. A smart

meter is a digital electric meter that uses two-way radio

communications to collect usage information and securely

transmit it to ComEd through a wireless connection.

“One million smart meters means one million customers

now have access to tools and information that will help them

better control and manage their energy use,” said Michael

McMahan, Vice President of Automated Metering Infrastruc-

ture Implementation for ComEd.

Smart meters provide customers with access to more infor-

mation about energy use through online energy-management

tools. Additionally, because smart meters automatically send

meter readings to ComEd, they also help eliminate estimated

bills and reduce operating costs that become savings on cus-

tomers’ electric bills.

Recently, ComEd reported out to the Illinois Commerce

Commission for the first time on performance metrics for

smart meters. The company reported that it had surpassed

in 2014 targets in several categories including reduction of

estimated bills, uncollected expenses, and consumption on

inactive meters. The positive performance results help to

lower operational costs, which are passed directly to custom-

ers as rate savings.

In addition, smart grid investments have helped to

strengthen reliability of the electric system by helping to

avoid more than 3.3 million customer interruptions since

2012, including 1.2 million in 2014 due largely to increased

investments in distribution automation or digital “smart

switches” that automatically route power around potential

problem areas. Outage avoidance has saved customers an

estimated $175 million.

Working with Silver Spring Networks, ComEd is building a

wireless communications network that allows smart meters

to communicate customer electricity usage with ComEd.

Already, however, the company is looking for additional op-

portunities to use the communications network to bring new

technologies and benefits to its service territory.

Earlier this year, ComEd introduced a pilot program to deploy

smart, energy-efficient LED streetlights in Lombard and Bensen-

ville. Via a web portal, municipalities will be able to control

the dimming and daily scheduling of the lights, and receive

immediate notification if a lamp is in need of maintenance.

Additionally, control can be given to first responders to manage

streetlights on-demand during emergency situations. The LED

streetlights, which consume as little as one-third of the energy,

last up to one and a half times as long and offer better quality of

light compared with the fixtures they replace.

Power News

Continued from page 26

High Levels of Transmission

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A

n updated report by the

Edison Electric Insti-

tute (EEI) finds that

investor-owned electric

utilities are continuing

to make significant investments to build

needed and beneficial transmission infra-

structure and to enhance the nation’s

electric power grid to meet 21st-century

energy needs. The report, “Transmission

Projects: At A Glance,” finds that EEI

members’ total transmission investment

in 2013 reached $16.9 billion.

“The high level of investment in our

nation’s transmission infrastructure