LIBERTY LAKE, WA, July 28, 2010 -- Itron Inc. announced today that it has been selected by the City of Wadsworth for a newly-funded smart metering initiative covering both electricity and water meters. Leveraging recently acquired stimulus funds, Wadsworth will partner with Itron to implement an integrated system to provide greater operational efficiency and reliably deliver service, while reducing future environmental impacts.
The smart metering initiative includes enhanced security for the communications infrastructure needed for two-way communications between the meters and utility back-office systems. The initiative will help automate distribution and substation operations and prepare the grid for the eventual charging of electric vehicles. The Itron solution for the Ohio-based utility includes both OpenWay® smart electricity meters and advanced smart water endpoints.
"The City of Wadsworth sought technology to empower our customers to be more active participants in energy and water management and conservation," said Chris Easton, City of Wadsworth director of Public Service. "Itron is providing us with an advanced metering system that will ultimately allow customers to understand and manage their use of water and energy while helping us provide better service for these utilities."
OpenWay is Itron's smart grid solution, featuring secure two-way communications. It provides interval data collection, time-of-use metering, robust outage detection, load-limiting remote disconnect and reconnect capabilities, and ZigBee® home area network connectivity. A key capability is providing the usage data that empowers customers to participate in energy management and conservation efforts via in-home displays or web presentment of usage information.
Itron Water SaveSource™ end points offer advanced, two-way datalogging capabilities that streamline customer service operations and influence customer consumption in support of conservation efforts. Its optional leak sensor technology provides proactive leak detection for the entire distribution system to reduce non-revenue water losses and associated production costs.
"This deployment ensures that Wadsworth has the infrastructure necessary to make its smart metering vision a reality," said Russ Vanos, Itron Vice President of Marketing. "Our partnership allows them to address operational and customer needs while planning for conservation efforts."
About Itron
Itron Inc. is a leading technology provider to the global energy and water industries. Our company is the world's leading provider of intelligent metering, data collection and utility software solutions, with nearly 8,000 utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Our products include electricity, gas, water and heat meters, data collection and communication systems, including automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI); meter data management and related software applications; as well as project management, installation, and consulting services. To know more, start here: www.itron.com.
About Wadsworth
Located in the Northeastern corner of Ohio, the City of Wadsworth provides electric service to approximately 21,000 residents throughout Medina County and surrounding townships. For more information, please visit www.wadsworthcity.com.
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