This presentation was given as part of the April 21, 2010 Northwest Clean Energy Resource Team meeting on Smart Grid Technology in Northwest Minnesota.

1. Smart Meter
Basics and Benefits

2. Today’s Topic:
With all of the talk about Smart Meters,
Smart Grid, Smart Homes, etc.
How Come I feel so DUMB?

3. What I will cover
 Smart Meter Basics
What makes them “Smart”?
What they can do
What they can’t do
 Why Buy Them?
Drivers
 Consumer
 Government
 Public Power and Smart Metering
Benefits to our Community
Benefits to our Utility
 Questions

4. Smart Meters – Who Invented
Them?

5. Smart Meters
What makes a meter
Smart?
• Solid state
• Communications
• Electronics under glass
• Two-way
• Proactive

6. Smart Meters
What can a Smart Meter do?
• Provide a standard read
• Provide tamper information
• Provide an on-demand read
• Used with multiple rate options
• Net metering
• Provide interval data
• Provide an outage signal

7. Smart Meters
What can a Smart Meter do?
• Allow remote connect/disconnect
• Allow pre-pay applications
• Be remotely programmed
• Communicate with devices inside
the home
• Communicate with other meters
• Demand response & load control
• Can be programmed for numerous
applications
• And more…

8. Smart Meters
What can’t a Smart Meter do?
• Nothing, according to most
meter companies.
• Replace or substitute SCADA
• Broadband applications
• Play nicely with other smart
meters (in most instances)

9. Smart Meters – Why Buy Them?
Primary Drivers:
Consumers

10. Smart Meters – Why Buy Them?
Primary Drivers:
Government

11. Smart Meters
Community Benefits
Increased Customer Service &
Satisfaction
Faster outage detection and restoration
Flexible billing options
Better explanation and resolution of high bill
complaints
Fast and accurate energy information
Ability to proactively manage their energy usage

12. Smart Meters
Utility Benefits
 Improves Utility Efficiencies
On-demand reads from the office – no truck roll
Faster resolution of high bill complaints
Pro-active outage information
Remote monitoring of utility equipment
Remote connect/disconnect – no truck roll
Leak detection

13. Smart Meters
Utility Benefits
 Rate Options
Time of Use (TOU) rate options
Net metering
Pre-pay options
 Demand response and control
Direct load control
 Stay connected to your customers!

14. Cash Register of the Utility

15. Cash Register of the Utility

16. Questions?
http://www.oe.energy.gov/SmartGridIntroduction.
htm

17. 123 Second Street West
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
218-681-0963
nmpa@mncable.net