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The City of Ruston designed, procured and implemented a Smart Metering Pilot Project in 2009. Over 700 water and electric meters equipped with wireless transmitters were installed in three zones in the city. These new smart meters automatically communicate consumption and other system data directly to the utility.
The pilot project is running on schedule and within budget. According to Darrell Caraway, Public Utility Manager, “The system is performing to our expectations and has given us every reason to believe that we are ready to implement this innovative, cost-effective technology for our customers.”
During the course of the pilot, the City applied for the U.S. Department of Energy Smart Grid Investment Grant Program. Ruston was selected late October to receive $4.3 million in funding as one of only one-hundred recipients nationwide. Utility Automation and Engineering T&D Magazine awarded the City of Ruston the Smart Grid Project of the Year in March, 2010 for its innovative design in the grant application.
Targeted goals for the Smart Grid Grant project include:
- Renewable energy generation for targeted city buildings
- A 50% reduction of distribution system interruptions
- Fuel reduction of 7,500 gallons
- A 5% energy reduction overall for customers
- An estimated community cost savings of over $5,266,674
All of Ruston’s residents and businesses will receive a state-of-the art electric meter during the full scale deployment which is scheduled to begin by 2011. The three-year project also targets enhancements to customer account software, automation of the electric distribution system, and testing of energy storage devices including electric vehicles.
Mayor Dan Hollingsworth said that when fully deployed, the new system will make Ruston’s power grid more efficient and user-friendly. “These improvements will save Ruston customers on their power and water bills. It will also ensure more accurate meter readings,” says the Mayor.
The City retained Utiliworks, a Baton Rouge-based firm that builds smart utility solutions, to assist with the pilot and the grant application. Dale Pennington, Utiliworks’ Managing Director, explains that the project fully accommodates all critical components of a smart grid as defined by EPRI- the Electric Power Research Institute. “Incorporating all these components which cut across so many technical disciplines will make this one of the forward thinking smart grid projects in the United States,” says Dale Pennington.
For additional information, please contact:
Barbara Watts
Customer Service and Billing Manager
City of Ruston
(318) 251-8675
customerservice@ruston.org
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