The South Bend Smart Meter Pilot

Electricity customers will no longer be in the dark about the energy they use as they are using it. That's the goal of a first of its kind electricity experiment that's creating excitement in the utility industry with a real-life test of an exclusive smart grid project. The South Bend Smart Meter pilot is a test of American Electric Power's gridSmart, a combination of customer programs and advanced technology initiatives that are transforming energy delivery and customer service. The quest is to marry technologies so customers and their power companies can move toward a more energy efficient future. See how a collaboration between AEP, Indiana Michigan Power, GE and Silver Spring Networks is taking us into a new "grid" frontier.

For more information on AEP's smart grid technologies visit: http://www.aep.com/citizenship/crreport/energy/gridsmart.aspx

Category:

Education

Tags:

• AEP
• The
• Bend
• Smart
• Meter
• pilot
• American
• Electric
• Power
• gridSMART
• grid

[AEPtv]

It is true that AEP needs to ensure that any business undertaking is fiscally responsible, both for its customers and its shareholders. With appropriate regulatory support of cost recovery, investments in energy efficiency can make the utility impartial as to whether the investment is made in supply-side resource (such as new generation plants), or those in the area of energy efficiency and demand management.

[MeritisDE]

I don't buy it.

Corporations such as power companies like Duke Energy are in the money making business.

Why would they want us to use less of their product?

[AEPtv]

AEP supports energy efficiency and demand management because it makes sense for the community, the environment, and the economy in general. Energy efficiency and demand management programs can delay or reduce the need for new generation plants and/or other infrastructure additions, and help to address climate change concerns.

[deanjehorek]

@MrHillDo What's wrong with that doushe?

[MrHillDo]

The electric companies want to use the meters to impose prices that change hourly on customers. By charging you more during high-usage "peak" times on hot days, they hope to persuade you to shift your usage to "off-peak" evenings and weekends.

[ChaosmanOne]

Then, the meters will be able to gather hour by hour data of energy consumption and bill you accordingly. Imagine it this way - the gasoline you put in your car fills up your tank and you pay the total amount for all the gas you put in your tank. That's like the meters we have now. We use a total amount of electricity and then get billed for that total amount after we have used it. The new technology would be like the gas station being able to know exactly when you are using the MOST gas

[ChaosmanOne]

2:08 - 2:52 During this segment of information we are being told that the power companies are gathering information on our power consumption - no mention as to why or how this helps us. The reason? It doesn't. This is a giant government conspiracy to gather usage information so that electricity can be billed more when it is being used more. They need the information to know when people are using their electricity.