 |
|
<< Back
Smart Meters Efficiently at Work
>> In April, Tri-County EMC completed the retrofit of residential and commercial meters to the new "TWACS" smart-meter system. The new technology will increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Smart metering adds computer intelligence to the electric grid comprised of transmission and distribution lines and meters. By transmitting data over power lines, the two-way aut
.jpg)
|
|
>> After an outage, Sr. Control Center Operator William Hubbard (left) refers Manager of Construction and Maintenance Donald Appling to a TWACS report noting the status of the meters. <<
|
omatic communication system
(TWACS) enables Tri-County EMC to remotely read meters, solve high bill concerns, recognize voltage problems, detect power outages, poll meters following an outage and identify power theft.
In September 2006, Tri-County installed the first TWACS components at Cedar Creek substation in Baldwin County. Once the substation was prepared, the EMC replaced its 62 meters for a month-long trial to assure TWACS properly interacted with the Tri-County’s computer network. When testing was complete, employees from all departments teamed to install the new meters across the entire distribution network, one substation at a time. Currently, Tri-County EMC’s 21,152 meters have been changed to interface with TWACS. About 60 nonstandard meters remain and are scheduled to be replaced with TWACS this year. By using EMC employees to perform the meter changeouts, Tri-County saved $49.36 per meter.
A TWACS component used often by customer service and energy services is the hourly and daily tracking of electric use. "It’s a very helpful tool to use when trying to find the source of the problem." says Energy Services Representative Jonathan Stewart, who uses the tracking measure as part of an energy audit. (2369-01)
"I include a report with at least one month of hourly energy use in each energy audit," says Stewart. "When I meet with the member, we try to determine what could’ve caused the use to go up at certain times a day. This hourly tracking helps to show members how they impact their energy use."
For voltage inquiries, TWACS can record the levels at the residence or business from the office for several days. This history is then used to identify the problem. "In the past, a lineman or other personnel would have to go to the location to check the service, and the problem may or may not be occurring at that time," says Lee Marsh, manager of Distribution Services. "The recording from TWACS eliminates this time delay and gives us much more useful information."
When responding to a power outage, Tri-County EMC’s Control Center will "ping" the meter to see if power is reaching the meter. "In the past, we had to send two crew members to the residence to find out if the problem may be on their side," says Donald Appling, manager of Construction and Maintenance. "Now, we can check this before they are called. If we determine the cause is on our side, we can also indicate how many meters are off." Once service is restored, the control center operator will ping all of the services in that area to assure they are back on while crews are in the area, avoiding returned trips.
As our nation’s leaders develop a smart electricity transmission and distribution network to help solve a looming energy crisis, Tri-County has TWACS serving as the foundation. It’s an economical way to continue to provide you with safe, reliable and affordable power in coming years. <<
|
|
