Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) has reached an important milestone in its SmartGrid demonstration project by completing the installation of Landis+Gyr's Gridstream advanced metering infrastructure system and smart meters.

KCP&L completed installation of over 14,000 FOCUS AX-SD and S4e advanced meters in less than six months. At the same time, the utility provided in-home displays to residents who requested one and launched a Web portal for monitoring energy use and cost as part of a comprehensive consumer outreach campaign.

“The new meters, which we began installing in the SmartGrid project area last October, give customers access to information on their electricity usage, which they can use to save money on their monthly bills,” said Mike Deggendorf, KCP&L senior vice president for delivery. “We are committed to ongoing outreach to our customers that includes providing access to energy information to help customers make better decisions about how they use energy.”

KCP&L's SmartGrid Demonstration project is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The demonstration area includes the Green Impact Zone, a collaborative effort to focus federal stimulus funding on neighborhoods in Kansas City's midtown urban core and surrounding neighborhoods.

“Landis+Gyr is excited to be working with KCP&L on this groundbreaking project to promote better energy management among a broad spectrum of consumers. As a longtime advanced metering partner with KCP&L, we also are continuing to demonstrate a practical migration path for utilities to add the most advanced smart grid technology available,” said Prasanna Venkatesan, senior vice president of systems and services at Landis+Gyr.

Gridstream RF technology uses a powerful radio mesh network to communicate with meters, in-premise devices and distribution automation equipment. Gridstream devices use the Smart Energy Profile standard to communicate with smart appliances and in-home units. This technology is currently being deployed to millions of residential and commercial sites across North America.

For more information, visit www.kcpl.com.