D.C. Public Service Commission Approves Tariff for SmartPowerDC:
Advanced Technology, Innovative Rates Could Help Reduce Customer Bills
On Friday, January 12, 2007, The D.C. Public Service Commission approved the tariff for the SmartPowerDC™ program, developed through the cooperation of the D.C. Consumer Utility Board, the Public Service Commission, PEPCO, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the D.C. Office of the People's Counsel. The program, managed by eMeter Strategic Consulting, will include two thousand, two hundred and fifty (2,250) randomly selected D.C. customers who will have the opportunity to participate in the smart meter pilot program. The program will utilize "Smart Meters" (provided by Sensus) and "Smart Thermostats" to receive the information necessary to reduce their electricity usage.
SmartPowerDC builds on other "smart" meter studies, but will be the first to test the advanced metering using three different residential pricing options: critical peak pricing, critical peak rebate, and hourly pricing. Under each of these pricing options, customers will reduce their electricity costs by shifting energy use away from high priced periods. Additional billing detail will also be provided that may enable customers to learn when they can use electricity most efficiently.
"We are excited to begin implementing this program and, now that the tariff has been approved, we can begin our preparations to recruit customers and install the smart meters and thermostats," said Chris King, President of eMeter Strategic Consulting.
The purpose of the SmartPowerDC program is to assess the value of time-based pricing for residential customers in D.C., including their ability to control their electricity bills and potentially benefit from smart meters and thermostats. Regulators and utilities in other jurisdictions should find the results of the program useful by learning key information on how participants drawn from the same pool of customers respond to different types of time-based rates, as well as the value of timely usage feedback and smart thermostats.
For more information, see www.dcpsc.org.