Pacific Power kickstarts AMI rollout for Oregon customers

Metering.com 15 JANUARY 2018

US energy provider Pacific Power has started a statewide installation of smart meters for consumers in Oregon state.
Pacific Power will equip some 590,000 business and residential consumers with smart meters until the end of 2019.

The statewide deployment of the advanced metering infrastructure has started with installation for 9,000 consumers in the Oregon city of Independence before being expanded to other regions.

Pacific Power has integrated its smart meter rollout with smart city and smart rural upgrades initiatives which are being implemented by the city of Independence.

The smart city and smart rural upgrades include improving gigabyte high-speed internet access and expanding portfolio of renewable energy resources.

Pacific Power, AMI and services

Shawn Irvine, director of economic development for Independence, said: “We’re proud to be in the forefront of this new technology surge that will give our citizens timely information that will let them truly take over day to day management of their energy costs. Now that is Independence!”

The smart meters will ensure consumers are billed accurately and help Pacific Power to improve management of the entire energy network, reduce operating costs and improve service reliability. Consumers will have access to energy usage data via an online customer portal six weeks after being equipped with a smart meters.

Stefan Bird, CEO at Pacific Power, added: “Installing smart meters is a key step toward the power grid of the future here in Oregon and our customers throughout the state all benefit.

“By vastly improving our meter technology, we can deliver power more reliably and shorten outages, save costs, and allow for better management of renewable sources.”

In addition:

  • Smart meters instantly track outages, meaning faster service response and shorter outages overall.
  • Customers will be able to view their power usage hour-by-hour, get a forecast of their next bill, and set alerts so they can adjust their activity to reduce both their carbon footprint and bill.
  • Businesses can get more detailed usage reporting which will help them cut costs and make investments in items that help their business grow.
  • The updated grid will work more efficiently with, and will help better integrate, renewable power sources.

Image credit: 123rf.