JACKSON, Mich., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy is
developing a high-tech meter system as part of its five-year plan to invest
$6 billion in energy reliability and customer service in Michigan.
The new "smart" electric meters will provide Consumers Energy's 1.8
million customers with detailed information about their power usage,
allowing them to make decisions about energy efficiency, conserving
electricity during periods of high demand, and lowering their energy costs.
Consumers Energy also plans to add communication modules to the
existing meters for its 1.7 million natural gas customers. That will allow
the utility to provide more detailed information about energy usage to
those customers, so they can make decisions about lowering their natural
gas costs through conservation and energy efficiency steps.
The new system, known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), also
will notify the utility immediately if there is an interruption of a
customer's electric service.
The AMI schedule calls for a pilot project in 2008 to install and test
a limited number of smart electric meters and gas meter communications
modules. After the pilot project, AMI will move toward full deployment over
the next five years.
The AMI project is a key part of Consumers Energy's Balanced Energy
Initiative, a comprehensive plan to meet the electric needs of its
customers over the next 20 years.
The Balanced Energy Initiative calls for meeting the growing customer
demand for electricity with energy efficiency, demand management, expanding
the use of renewable energy from 5 percent to 10 percent, and developing
new power plants, along with utilizing existing generating sources.
The utility's plan is designed to help maintain affordable and reliable
supplies of electricity for Michigan's families and businesses.
"Full implementation of the AMI system will significantly enhance our
ability to serve customers. AMI also will give customers the information
they need to evaluate ways that they can lower their bills by conserving
energy and using energy more efficiently," said John Russell, Consumers
Energy's president and chief operating officer.
"AMI is one of the major investments that we plan to make in Michigan's
infrastructure over the next five years. Those investments will create
thousands of new jobs and expand the tax base of the state and local
communities and help us continue to provide safe and reliable electric and
natural gas service to our customers while keeping rates competitive and
affordable," Russell said.
Consumers Energy is working with SAP, a leading provider of business
software, to design some of the software changes needed for the AMI
program. Consumers Energy was the first utility to join SAP's "Lighthouse
Council," a group of utilities working with SAP to implement AMI programs.
Consumers Energy already is working with SAP on a major project to replace
the utility's legacy computer systems with integrated business software.
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS),
provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10
million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com
SOURCE Consumers Energy
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Related links:
http://www.consumersenergy.com/
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html/
CONTACT:
Jeff Holyfield, +1-517-788-2394 or Dan
Bishop, +1-517-788-2395, both for Consumers Energy
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