Burbank - Smart Grid System

Some Glendale and Burbank residents resist new smart-grid system
L A Times: 5.17.11 by Melanie Hicken

Glendale and Burbank officials are touting their new "smart meters" project as an exciting technological advancement that will help the utilities and customers track real-time water and electrical use.

But a small group of residents is resisting, saying they're worried about the health effects of the radio waves emitted by the meters. They also say the utilities' ability to view electricity and water usage as it occurs is intrusive and could change the rate structure.

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Utility officials say residents have no reason to be concerned, citing studies that say the wireless smart meters fall within federal guidelines for radiofrequency emissions and expose residents to far less electromagnetic radiation than other common appliances.

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Officials at both utilities say they will postpone installing the meters for concerned residents while they await a ruling from the California Public Utilities Commission, which has ordered Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to create ways for customers to opt out of the new wireless meters.

Although the state commission does not regulate municipal utilities, Glendale and Burbank officials said they would probably follow the agency's direction for a potential opt-out provision.

Glendale has installed 76,000 smart meters so far, and only a dozen residents have asked to have their installation put on hold, said Ned Bassin, assistant general manager for Glendale Water & Power.

And in Burbank, where crews will begin installing the smart meters next month, even fewer concerns have been expressed, officials said. READ MORE !

Power up the 'smart meters'
The devices have sparked an irrational fear of electromagnetic radiation in the Bay Area.
L A Times: 6.05.11 - Editorial

You don't have to be a tinfoil-hat-wearing paranoiac to be worried that the electromagnetic radiation from modern wireless devices may be harmful to your health. But are the "smart meters" being installed by utilities throughout the state frying homeowners' brains, as many consumers and even municipal governments fear? The risks are vanishingly small, while the economic and environmental benefits of smart meters are wide and obvious. In fact, we wish L.A.'s municipal utility would get busy installing the devices, though that isn't likely to happen any time soon. READ MORE !

Smart Grid Meeting: March 23

Burbank's Smart Grid Program Meeting
March 23
5:30 pm – 7 pm
Buena Vista Library

Planning and engineering for the Smart Grid has been underway for several years. BWP staff will be on hand to share information about the City's smart grid program, and answer questions.

To address questions and concerns about what this project means to Burbank, BWP has compiled a list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SMART GRID.

BWP: Smart Grid

Burbank Water and Power Selects Trilliant for Smart Grid Advanced Metering Infrastructure
PRWeb: January 7, 2011

Trilliant Incorporated, a Smart Grid communications provider and leader in delivering solutions that enhance energy efficiency, utility operations, and renewable resource integration, today announced that it has successfully completed its pilot and has now been selected to implement the smart metering communications infrastructure at Burbank Water and Power in Burbank, CA. Burbank Water and Power (BWP) is a community-owned utility that has served the business and residents of Burbank with water and power since 1913.

BWP, a recipient of an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Grant, deployed approximately 1,000 commercial and residential meters during Phase I of its Smart Grid pilot program. As part of the initial deployment, all of BWP’s customers using 250 kW and above were converted to time-of-use rates. BWP relied on Trilliant’s SecureMesh™ communications infrastructure and UnitySuite™ head-end software to automate meter reading and deliver daily reports on late meters, outages, meter tampering, and more.

The next phase of BWP's Smart Grid program will deploy smart meters to all remaining business and residences in the utility area by year end 2011 amounting to more than 50,000 meters. BWP will utilize Trilliant’s solution to help manage service requests, customer inquiries, meter reading and service interruptions. READ MORE !

BWP: eMeter - Meter Data Management System

Burbank Water and Power Deploys Smart Grid Leveraging Siemens' Expertise and eMeter's Technology
PR Newswire: December 1, 2010

Siemens Energy, Inc. announces that Burbank Water and Power (BWP), the provider of water and electricity to Burbank, California, residents and businesses, has completed its installation of the eMeter EnergyIP meter data management system (MDMS).

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The first phase of this project was a true meter-to-cash project. The meter reads are validated, estimated and edited within the MDMS before being converted into billing determinants.

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"Siemens and eMeter's commitment toward working hand-in-hand with the BWP delivery team was instrumental to the success of this project," said Joanne Fletcher, BWP Assistant General Manager/Customer Service & Marketing. "The MDMS is a key piece in the foundation of our Smart Grid strategy and we look forward to realizing the benefits of this deployment as Smart Grid technologies evolve and we are able to offer our customers more choices and more control over how they use their resources."

"eMeter worked closely with Siemens to ensure a successful and timely deployment for BWP," said Gary Bloom, CEO at eMeter. "eMeter EnergyIP will ultimately empower Burbank residents to make smart energy consumption decisions."

Siemens is now working with BWP on the next phase of their MDM project, which will include the ability to respond to service requests, inquiries and interruptions more quickly than current technology allows. READ MORE !

COB: Burbank Water & Power - Smart Grid

More money for smart meters
Officials stress a newer solar technology design that produces more energy.
Burbank Leader: October 26, 2010 by Gretchen Meier

Burbank Water and Power now has an additional $1.5 million for its smart meter ambitions, adding to the already substantial $20-million pool for the project.

After being one of just a handful of cities nationwide to receive a $20-million federal stimulus grant for smart grid infrastructure last year, the utility was awarded a $1-million grant from the California Energy Commission and $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Burbank Water and Power was selected by the California Energy Commission for its planned solar panel project. The utility will be partnering with RayDyne Energy in Austin, Texas, to develop and operate concentrated solar photovoltaic systems to generate electrical power.

No air or water pollution is generated in the process, officials said.

"This is a newer solar technology with a totally different design," said Jeanette Meyer, marketing manager for Burbank Water and Power. "Using the same amount of space, we will be able to produce more energy."

Burbank Water and Power will partner with 700 city households with swimming pools to test a two-year energy efficiency program focused on shifting demand loads from peak to off-peak periods.

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The original $20-million grant will help for the installation of smart meters that track real-time water and electricity use by Burbank residents through a network of wireless communication systems, advanced meters and collection systems.

Smart-grid technology could also reduce electricity consumption by more than 4% by 2030, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. READ MORE !

BWP Smart Grid

Burbank Water and Power Selects Siemens and eMeter for Smart Grid Meter Data Management Project PRNewswire: August 6, 2009

Siemens Energy, Inc. announces that Burbank Water and Power (BWP) has chosen to implement eMeter EnergyIP(TM) meter data management system (MDMS) software for its Smart Grid project. BWP selected EnergyIP to support current and future applications and business processes enabled by advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). EnergyIP will also support load control programs initially including improvement of BWP's energy management and conservation through the reliable and timely delivery of interval data from electric meter reads for load control decision making and the prompt verification that usage did change in response to the load control events.

"As we look to rollout Smart Metering for our electric and water customers, we feel an MDMS is the key factor in this Smart Grid project. After an extensive evaluation of the MDM solutions available, we have come to the conclusion that EnergyIP best meets our short-term meter to cash needs, as well as our long-term demand response and Smart Grid program needs. We are excited to work with Siemens and look forward to forming a long-term relationship with Siemens and eMeter," said Joanne Fletcher, Burbank Water and Power assistant general manager/customer service & marketing.

Burbank Water and Power anticipates future business benefits including:
• Significantly enhanced service to utility customers including improved billing accuracy; faster customer response and more efficient customer service; immediate (on-demand) move-in /move-out meter reads; remote meter connect/disconnect; improved reliability; and outage management.
• Improved operational efficiency and reduced costs through reliable interval data from electric and water meter reads for time-of-use pricing programs, prompt notification of leaks, tampering and theft and distribution load analysis.
• Provision of end-customer messages and timely utility information in the home or business, thereby empowering BWP residential customers and businesses to control utility usage and costs.
• Availability of data analytics to help BWP manage load and system assets during and post deployment.
• Ability to track and manage peripheral assets such as plug-in vehicles. READ MORE !