Metering.com 18 May 2017
In the US, Orange and Rockland Utilities will begin installing smart electric meters for all of its customers in Orange and Sullivan Counties from 2018.
In addition, Orange and Rockland will install gas modules to improve management of its gas distribution network.
The project will start with the installation of communications infrastructure and software in January 2018, once the project secures regulatory approval from the New York Public Service Commission.
Following the completion of the rollout of the communication infrastructure, the utility targets to start the deployment of smart electric meters and gas modules as from March 2018.
The programme is expected to last over a period of three years.
The smart meter programme will help Orange and Rockland Utilities optimise its revenue collections through accuracy in energy billing. The smart meters will also help reduce the utility’s operational expenses incurred in manual meter readings.
Moreover, the two-way communication technology will help in reducing power outages by its ability to pinpoint the source and location of faults within a distribution network.
Smart meters infrastructure development
The news follows early February’s selection of IoT firm C3 by Consolidated Edison, the parent company and owner of Orange and Rockland, to assist its subsidiaries optimise their operations using data analytics.
In a press statement, C3 announced that it was contracted by Consolidated Edison to integrate its IoT solution with Con Edison and Orange and Rockland Utilities’ grid networks.
The two utility firms will use the IoT technology to achieve reliable and secure grid data telemetry from multiple smart grid applications to enhance management of grid networks in real-time.
The deployment of the C3 IoT platform by Con Edison and O&R will enable the energy companies to reduce their operating costs and improve their customer services by introducing new operational business models.