Josh DiLuciano: Smart meters are an investment in our future

Readers of The Spokesman-Review are likely already aware that Avista began installing smart meters for its Washington customers last year. Designed to align both with changes in the industry and with customer expectations, it’s one of the largest investments in our company’s history. We believe this transition is the right thing for everyone and, as an electrical engineer, I think I’m in a unique position to talk about why.

More than half of the 150 million electric meters currently installed in the U.S. are smart meters. And that number is growing. Smart meters are now becoming the utility industry standard. In fact, the old analog style isn’t even being manufactured anymore – in part because the new technology has long been proven to be safe, secure and reliable.

Of course, just because other utilities are investing in smart meters doesn’t mean we have to, right? But it turns out there are quite a few reasons to do so. I want to focus on three very important ones.

First, smart meters enable Avista to be more responsive to outages. Up to now, we’ve relied on calls from our customers to tell us that their power is out, which required sending out crews to confirm those reports, assess any damage and begin work on restoring power. Smart meters provide information about where and when a problem occurs – immediately – enabling us to get your lights back on much faster. Ultimately, that means less disruption to your home or business.

Second, smart meters put customers in control of their energy consumption. By knowing exactly how much you’re using and when you’re using it, you can better manage your monthly bill – because you’ll have the knowledge and the tools, before you even get your bill, to adjust your usage in a way that’s best for you.

Third, smart meter technology will enable us to integrate more intermittent renewables, like wind and solar, onto our system. The thing is, they’re called “intermittent” because they only work when the wind’s blowing or the sun’s shining. But with the data provided by smart meters, we’ll have more information about energy use, which will enable us to analyze supply and demand, which, in turn, will help us become much more efficient at incorporating those intermittent power sources in cost effective ways.

Those are just some of the benefits. Now let’s talk about how smart meters work.

They’re safe. While smart meters communicate energy usage information via low-power radio frequency (RF) waves, those emissions are well below the levels produced by things like cellphones (up to 58,000 times more RF), microwaves (up to 2,300 times) and television sets (12 times). Smart meters transmit less than three minutes a day and emit a small fraction of the limits set by the Federal Communications Commission, which is the agency that enforces the safety limits of RF emissions.

They’re secure. Any energy usage data coming from smart meters is encrypted, so no personally identifiable information is collected or stored by the meter. And because our customers’ privacy has always been important to Avista, we follow cybersecurity guidelines published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology – standards that are regularly reviewed to remain current with industry and government security protocols – and subject all meters, communication and information management systems to the same rigorous security standards that have kept the energy grid safe for years.

They’re reliable. Smart meters must meet stringent requirements developed by the American National Standards Institute, and regulators also require Avista to randomly test meters before installing them at an actual home or business. Even after installation, we continue to monitor our metering systems by conducting periodic sample testing to ensure continuing accuracy. Even the technology systems that support smart meters have exacting standards and extensive data validation processes to protect the accuracy of your billing records.

You can tell I’m excited about this technology and the possibilities it brings. Smart meters are an investment in more responsiveness, greater control and cleaner energy; in safe, secure, reliable technology. But even more important? They’re an investment in our future. And that’s something we can all get excited about.