Bangor Hydro Deploys Software to Support Migration to Smart Grid

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. is implementing Itron software solutions to help it migrate from automated meter reading processes to an advanced metering infrastructure. In January 2010, the Maine Public Utilities Commission approved an investment in smart grid infrastructure investments for Bangor Hydro.

As part of its business case, Bangor Hydro will employ Itron technology to implement dynamic pricing and multi-channel customer engagement that will help customers better understand and manage their energy usage. Detailed hourly interval readings from over 100,000 meters will be processed, analyzed and presented via a web portal to both residential and commercial and industrial (C&I) customers with the Itron solution. Itron Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management (IEE MDM) is a critical part of Bangor Hydro’s smart grid initiative. Bangor Hydro needed a solution that was flexible and scalable to calculate billing determinants for multiple pricing programs such as their Day-Ahead Hourly Pricing—one of the first programs of its kind in the U.S. IEE MDM validates the meter data, stores it in a centralized repository and calculates billing determinants which are distributed to billing and web applications. Bangor Hydro will use IEE Customer Care to present customers with more detailed usage and pricing information through a new web portal, giving them information to manage their electricity consumption and costs. Field trials will begin in the coming months and will feature day-ahead hourly pricing for the supply component of customer bills. By combining dynamic pricing with web portals, Bangor Hydro enables participating customers to proactively manage electricity costs by reducing usage during peak pricing periods. The Itron software solution supports the complex business and functional requirements for Bangor Hydro’s smart grid vision and enables them to adapt as their needs and market conditions change.