Washington, D.C., September 26, 2011 — Consumers Energy has selected SmartSynch to provide the advanced metering system that will form the foundation of a grid and meter modernization program for its 1.8 million electric customers in Michigan.
Consumers Energy’s selection of SmartSynch to provide smart meters concluded a comprehensive process by the utility to find the best advanced metering solution for its customers.
The company’s decision to use existing cellular networks for large-scale, high performance smart grid communications, in lieu of building and maintaining a private network, comes after extensive research and testing of available industry solutions.
It makes Consumers Energy, which serves more than two-thirds of Michigan across a 32,000-square-mile service territory, the largest U.S. utility to choose a cellular-based communication system for the smart meter deployment phase of its grid modernization program.
Meter installation is scheduled to begin in Muskegon County in August 2012 with installation phases continuing through 2019 across the utility’s service territory. In addition to the 1.8 million electric meters, the company continues to evaluate the installation of communications modules on about 600,000 gas meters in areas where the utility serves customers with both electricity and natural gas.
SmartSynch’s technology creates a two-way communications system that will provide customers with detailed information about their energy usage, allowing them to better manage their energy use and their bills. Traditional meters just measure energy use and customers only get that information when they get their bills.
In addition, advanced metering also provides key customer value benefits, including faster power outage identification and restoration.
SmartSynch has been the leading provider of standards-based, Internet protocol-enabled smart grid solutions utilizing existing cellular networks since the introduction of its first SmartMeter in 2000. SmartSynch’s smart grid solutions are fully certified to securely deliver smart grid data on all major cellular networks, enabling quicker, easier, more scalable and strategic smart meter deployments for utilities.
