One of the largest electric cooperatives in the nation, Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) in Florida has chosen the ENERGYprism Customer Care and Energy Vision Operational Efficiency solutions from Aclara. Aclara’s customer portal and meter-data-management system (MDMS) will help LCEC transform its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) into a foundation for smart-grid development. These additions to the utility’s information systems will allow Lee County Electric to turn consumption data into powerful knowledge for utility workers and customers alike.
Based in North Fort Myers, Florida, LCEC has been collecting daily consumption data from its 210,000 customers since 2002 via the Aclara Two-Way Automatic Communications System (TWACS) technology, a fixed-network AMI solution that transmits meter readings over power lines. With the addition of the Aclara Software MDMS, the utility gains the ability to quickly validate, store and integrate data from many utility systems, giving utility managers better decision-making power.
The Aclara applications also will empower consumers by giving each utility customer online information on household energy use, as well as tools to understand bills, compare usage to similar households, pinpoint where energy dollars go based on a home profile, and learn ways to make smarter energy choices. In addition, Aclara’s “Bill-To-Date” feature lets customers see how much their electric bill is at any point in the billing cycle, determine what the final bill may be at the end of the billing period, and set a customizable threshold that triggers an alert from the utility.
Hourly meter readings also equip the utility to offer time-based rates and other demand response programs, as well as pre-pay. In addition, the software will facilitate net billing for customers who generate their own electricity.
Along with the MDMS and customer portal, LCEC has contractual options to integrate additional Aclara Software modules to its system for load research and forecasting, distribution asset analysis, device management, and revenue assurance.
