AEP Ohio Gets Unanimous Support To Expand Smart Grid Across Service Territory

AEP Ohio this week filed a settlement, with unanimous support or agreement not to oppose from all interested parties, for its grid modernization expansion plan with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to bring advanced smart grid technologies including smart meters, customer access to real-time energy usage data, and distribution system reliability enhancements throughout its service territory. Parties to the settlement include PUCO staff, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, industrial user groups, the Ohio Hospital Association, competitive retail electric suppliers, the Smart Thermostat Coalition and Mission:data.

AEP Ohio plans to invest more than $220 million over the next 7 years in smart grid equipment in the rural areas of its service territory during the phase 3 of its smart grid program. This expansion will ensure that all AEP Ohio customers benefit from smart grid technologies. The average residential customer using 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity per month will see an average increase of $0.33 per month for the program. 

"For a decade, customers in parts have seen the benefits of the first two phases of our smart grid rollout and today's settlement means that all of our customers will have access to a more efficient, and smarter electric grid," said Marc Reitter, AEP Ohio president and chief operating officer. "We know that our customers rely on the power we deliver, and the improvements we are making gives them more control and can help them save money."

Under this plan, AEP Ohio will install approximately 475,000 additional smart meters across the state. More than 900,000 smart meters have already been installed under phases 1 and 2 of the smart grid program. Smart meters provide many benefits to customers, including detailed energy usage information and the ability to detect and report outage information to AEP Ohio. 

The plan also includes the installation of other smart grid technology that has been installed during previous phases. These include Volt Var Optimization, which automatically monitors and controls the voltage levels on a distribution circuit, reducing customers' energy consumption on that circuit without any action required by the customer. The result is customer energy savings without the customer needing to take any action.

Customers will also be eligible for energy-savings programs, including a rebate for the installation of a qualifying smart thermostat. Additional customer programs, like time of use rates will also become more impactful under the program. AEP Ohio will contribute $250,000 to its Neighbor to Neighbor program which helps qualifying AEP Ohio customers pay their electric bill. Customer contributions are matched dollar-for-dollar by AEP Ohio.

_{Source:  AEP}

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