Tampa Electric Company was recognized for the utility’s highly strategic and methodical approach to executing a successful transition to clean energy. In 2005, TEC partnered with Itron to initiate the Energy Planner Program, which is among the largest automated, price-based DR programs in the country. The technology consists of Itron’s GenTMX load control switch, IntelliSOURCE® EnterpriseTM and smart metering solutions. To date, there are roughly 5,000 residential homes enrolled in this program which reduces generation needs, utilizes existing capacity and enhances customer satisfaction and value. Participants engage with a portal to program their HVAC systems, water heaters and pool pumps; monitor their appliance runtime; and reprogram their appliances to operate when it is most cost-effective. Customers can expect to see as high as 10 percent of savings on their electric bill while allowing the utility to shed as much as 3.1 kW during winter peak and 2.0 kW during summer peak. Moving forward, Itron and TEC will continue empowering residential customers to gain greater control of their energy usage, save money on their electric bills and reduce consumption during times of peak demand.
Serving 40,800 residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial customers throughout 2,110 miles of distribution main – Warren County Water District, Simpson County District and Butler County Water were recognized for their collaboration to reduce water loss water and improve connectivity throughout their service areas. According to a report produced by Kentucky Water Resource Information system (WRIS), non-revenue water loss in the state was about 24% in 2018, which far exceeds the national average of 16 percent. This level of loss was caused by leaks, inaccurate meter reads and water line flushing. To address this issue, WSB partnered with Itron to deploy automated meter readings (AMR) and advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) across their territories. Since October 2018, the leak sensors have saved the utility over 76 million gallons of water and over 20.6 million gallons for customers. The deployment of both AMR and AMI systems will continue to reduce meter reading costs, increase billing accuracy, enhance customer service and reduce water loss for WSB.
As part of the selection process, Frost & Sullivan conducted in-depth research and interviews and evaluated utilities against industry best practices and the decision criteria, including societal impact and business impact for each category. Indicators for societal impact included improving customer awareness and participation, enabling behavioral change to reduce waste through customer engagement and technology-driven programs and yielding impressive waste reduction results that benefit the overall served community. Indicators for business impact included drafting a clear vision to address excessive waste through technology implementation, achieving operational effectiveness as a result of a successful strategy for sustainability and strengthening a utility's brand image as a leader for sustainability.
Next up, on Tuesday, the 2022 Itron Innovator Award was presented to the City of London (City Corporation). The award, now in its third year, recognizes an Itron customer that has taken advantage of Itron’s partner enablement programs to deliver a breakthrough solution that solves challenges in energy and water efficiencies and smart communities. The City Corporation was recognized for its collaboration with Itron partner Urban Control to utilize the existing smart streetlight communications network along with IIoT sensors and smart applications to help determine the best way to manage and prepare for severe weather events before they become catastrophic. The project is being carried out as part of the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy.