ComEd has chosen Accenture to design and deploy the data management system for its proposed Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) pilot. The pilot, if approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), will assess how advanced technology can improve service reliability, help customers make smarter decisions about energy use and contribute to lower energy costs and reduced carbon emissions.

Accenture will help ComEd integrate the smart meter infrastructure, including its data management system, with its existing information technology systems and business processes. Accenture will also collaborate with Itron, a leading provider of intelligent metering, data collection and utility software solutions, to integrate Itron’s Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management into ComEd’s existing suite of applications. By using a services-oriented architecture approach, Accenture will provide ComEd with a flexible infrastructure that allows the utility to respond more quickly and cost effectively to customer needs.

In its petition to the ICC, ComEd recommended that 141,000 smart meters be deployed in 11 suburban communities and the city of Chicago, as part of one of the most comprehensive tests of smart meters in the nation.