Regulator launches smart meter website

The site, www.smartmetertexas.com, allows users to see how much electricity they've used, in 15-minute segments. Users can also see a graph of the amount of juice they consume daily.

This is only for people who already have new digital meters, known as smart meters. The old, mechanical meters don't generate this data. Also, it takes a few weeks for your new meter to be "provisioned," which is a procedure to connect the meter to the system.

So, my Oak Cliff neighborhood got smart meters a few months ago. I logged on to the web site today to find that, sure enough, my family uses the most electricity in the early evening, when we're cooking dinner and turning on lights as the sun goes down.

I also discovered that, in the past month, the day we used the most electricity was March 1. Why? Well, my in-laws were visiting, keeping my son, probably watching television and cooking a nice meatloaf for dinner.

What can I do with this information? Anyone?

"SmartMeterTexas.com gives Texans more control over their electricity use," said Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Barry Smitherman. "Smart meters increase reliability, enhance customer choice and enable demand response."

The secure website is available both to residential and business electric customers who have had traditional mechanical meters replaced with digital smart meters. Customers should have their most recent electric bill on hand when visiting the website to establish proper identification. The PUC has authorized four transmission and distribution utilities (TDU) to deploy smart meters for their customers:

· ONCOR;

· CenterPoint;

· AEP Texas Central;

· AEP Texas North.

Today more than one million customers with smart meters in the Oncor and CenterPoint territories can use the website. Eventually, more than 6.3 million Texas electric customers will be able to manage their electricity use through SmartMeterTexas.com.

It could take up to 60 days after smart meter installation before a customer's information is on the website. Smart meter deployment in the American Electric Power (AEP) Texas North and Texas Central areas is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2010.

IBM developed SmartMeterTexas.com and will operate it under the direction of the TDUs. Website features include secure access to electricity usage in 15-minute intervals. Future enhancements will let customers register devices inside their homes and businesses to give customers more choice and control. The website complies with standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The new website will not include information for municipal utility or electric cooperative customers. SmartMeterTexas.com also is not available for electric customers located outside the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region. SmartMeterTexas.com is designed only for customers in competitive retail electric markets of Texas.