By Jim Roth, Director and Chair of the Firm’s Clean Energy Practice Group. This column was originally published in The Journal Record on July 25, 2016.
Jim Roth is a Director and Chair of the firm’s Clean Energy Practice.
PSO, AMI and ROI
Wow, it’s hot. And it looks like it’s gonna be hot for a while still, as is not a surprise to us Oklahomans.
And once you recall the incredibly warm winter we just had, one can only imagine what August may feel like here. And as we’ve been discussing the last few weeks, a high-temperature weather month can often be followed by a high-cost electric utility bill the next billing cycle.
And as we’ve learned, deployment of new technology is providing customers near real-time price information and abilities to monitor and manage monthly costs, while also providing utility providers with a new slew of information and efficiencies to improve service and lower costs. It’s proving to have a real return on investment for both sides of the meter, so-to-speak.
Case in point: AEP’s Public Service Company of Oklahoma and their advanced metering infrastructure, as of this month, is now fully deployed across PSO’s vast Oklahoma service territory with the installation of more than 560,000 new meters, including those first pilot program meters in the Owasso area beginning in 2010. And with a seemingly huge reception from all territory customers, with over 99.5 percent of customers participating in the AMI program.
PSO has rightly indicated that the AMI program will provide an array of benefits to customers.
And they are not alone as several Oklahoma electric utilities have been using this type of technology for many years and the penetration rate nationwide is nearly 50 percent. I’m glad to see our customers are faring better than the national average and I’m also glad to know that PSO meets the highest standards of cybersecurity with encrypted technology to safeguard customer information. In fact, the Oklahoma Electric Usage Data Protection Act prohibits all utilities from providing any customer information to outside third parties.
And now for the extraordinarily good news for PSO customers: With the full installation of this metering technology, PSO was greatly aided in responding to the devastating storms and outages earlier in July (with 109,000 customers out at one point it was the third-largest storm by customers affected in PSO’s history), the AMI made possible the restoration of service to nearly everyone within three days.
And for those regular storm-free days when Oklahoma’s heat bakes the state, AMI has helped PSO provide new programs for customers’ budget needs, such as PowerHours and PowerPay.
PowerHours, which is similar to OG&E’s SmartHours program, runs June through October and allows enrolled customers to choose from four programs to save money through managed use.
Information on the options is available at www.psopowerhours.com.
Likewise, PowerPay is a voluntary program where customers can prepay for their usage, giving them greater control over the frequency and timing of their payments. No more surprise utility bills the month after high prices. Instead the customer is engaged in energy consumptions, management and related savings in this pay-as-you-go approach. It’s not for everyone, but is a good option for many, so please check it out and see if it’s right for your budget and household.
The return on PSO’s AMI investments can be directly enjoyed by its customers who explore these options, enroll in those that make the most sense for them, and control their own destiny through price signals, energy shifts and energy savings. It’s an exciting time when the cost of next month’s utility bill is based upon what customers choose to do this month for themselves.
Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah PC in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.