Elster to take lead on KCBPU smart grid

KCBPU Elster Smart Grid modernizes Kansas City, Kansas utilities with AMI, Ethernet smart meters, outage management, TOU rates, remote connect/disconnect, flexible billing, and leak detection, leveraging EnergyAxis and Google Fiber's ultra-fast network.

The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities KCBPU has selected Elster for their smart grid deployment, choosing the EnergyAxis Smart Grid solution to streamline business and operational processes and provide cost-effective services to its customer base.

"Our customers and their unique needs were our primary consideration in awarding Elster this contract — we needed a Smart Grid technology partner, with proven results like the Dominion demonstration in Virginia, that understood these needs and could meet our unique geographic and technology requirements for both electricity and water," said Don Gray, general manager, KCBPU.

"Elster has demonstrated global success, including the Toronto EnergyAxis deployment in challenging conditions with multi-utilities in electricity and water, making us very confident that their EnergyAxis system will enable our customers to realize the benefits of the Smart Grid," Gray added.

Google recently announced its selection of Kansas City, Kansas, as the location for its ultra-high-speed fiber project. This network is expected to be 100 times faster than most broadband connection speeds.

With Elster's proven technologies, which include advanced metering infrastructure AMI, KCBPU will install Ethernet-connected Rex3 Smart Meters, drawing on the AT&T and Elster collaboration on smart grid, and replace outdated control systems and infrastructure. This will enable the utility to roll out valuable new services such as outage management, time-of-use TOU rates, remote connect and disconnect service, flexible billing and leak detection capabilities to its customers.

As part of its Smart Grid plan, KCBPU plans to deploy more than 69,000 of Elster's smart electric meters and 55,000 Elster smart water meters, similar to the Cleveland Utilities project now underway, over the next few years.

"KCBPU is dedicated to providing the highest quality of electric and water services at the lowest possible cost to its customers, and, through this partnership with Elster, they will be able to achieve this mission with even greater success," said David Green, executive vice president, customers and markets, North America, Elster.

"By investing in the Elster EnergyAxis Smart Grid solution, and building on AMI experience in Mexico City to inform deployment, KCBPU is also enhancing its abilities to support the changing needs of its customers," Green added.

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