Hydro One Networks has achieved time-of-use (TOU) billing for 1.05 million customers.
In 2007, as part of the culture of conservation, the government of Ontario mandated that all utilities in the province convert customers to time-of-use billing, which allows for different electricity rates at different times of day. Time-of-use billing encourages customers to use power outside peak hours when possible, which can reduce the need to construct additional power generation and distribution infrastructure. In 2010, the regulator set aggressive targets for all utilities in Ontario to complete their TOU rollout.
Many utilities consider time-of-use billing to be a critical business benefit of the smarter energy grid because it allows them to delay the construction of power generation and distribution infrastructure, resulting in lower environmental impact, more reliable service, and lower capital expenditures. Time-of-use billing is much more challenging to implement than simple meter reading – it requires high reliability, high bandwidth, and sophisticated communications networks. Trilliant provided this communications network to Hydro One.
The Ontario Energy Board, in this report, shows that Hydro One converted more customers to time-of-use billing than any other utility covered in the program. Hydro One has one of the most difficult terrains in North America for a smart grid, going from sparse rural areas to densely populated areas. Using Trilliant’s standards-based 2.4 GHz wireless mesh smart grid network, Hydro One was able to cover this difficult terrain and provide the benefits of the smart grid for its customers and the province.
