1

Quick Take: You've got to admire the nimbleness and flexibility of municipal utilities. They don't have the same constraints as investor-owned utilities. They can embark on any project that the City Council approves. And Glendale Water & Power may be one of the country's best examples. It was the first to apply for a stimulus grant and one of the first to finish the resulting stimulus project.

And there's more to admire than simply speed. Glendale installed smart meters for electric and for water, thereby getting even more value from their communications network (which handles both). Whether it realizes it or not, Glendale is building the foundation to be a smart city. Let's watch to see what else it builds on top of this core smart infrastructure. - By Jesse Berst

The final meter was installed at Glendale Community College, a long-time partner with the utility. The project includes not only the Itron-supplied meters, but also a meter data management system, leak detection technology and customer web portals. The meters are fully functional and wirelessly communicating with the utility.

Glenn Steiger, general manager for GW&P, said he was proud of the project and "...we are more committed now to show the benefits of the smart grid."

As its next step, the utility plans to illustrate the benefits of the technology to its customers. In partnership with Burbank-based CEIVA®, GW&P will pilot a program that shows customer power use on a digital frame and show them precisely how much power and water they are using. The interactive frames are intended to help customers make smarter decisions about their power and water consumption.

You might also be interested in ...

GWP's smart grid ranked among the highest in utility survey

Glendale Becomes First in Nation To Sign Contract for Federal Smart Grid Grant