On June 30, for the first time since the birth of its Advanced Metering Initiative (AMI) initiative in 2006, Hydro One began using energy consumption data collected wirelessly from smart meters to calculate monthly electricity bills for select customers throughout the province of Ontario. For this critical next step, Hydro One selected more than 25,000 smart meters deployed between 2006 to 2008 by SmartSynch,.

SmartSynch’s SmartMeters measure how much and when electricity is consumed, and allow utilities to retrieve the data in real-time via public wireless networks and the Internet. This reliable, real-time information enables utilities to better serve customers with precise billing accuracy, while dramatically improving their ability to understand customer electricity usage and prepare for periods of peak demand. SmartSynch has partnered with Rogers Wireless, a Canadian telecommunications company, to provide the network connectivity for this initiative.

To date, Hydro One has deployed about 500,000 smart meters, provided by a smart meter team consisting of multiple vendor partners. In 2007, an international panel of judges recognized the utility for its strategic vision by naming it winner of the Utility Planning Network’s 2007 Metering Award in the category of Automated Meter Reading Initiative.