FirstEnergy Ohio Utilities Seek Approval To Install 700,000 More Smart Meters; Propose Customer Energy Management & Smart Thermostat Programs -- EnergyChoiceMatters.com

FirstEnergy Ohio Utilities Seek Approval To Install 700,000 More Smart Meters; Propose Customer Energy Management & Smart Thermostat Programs

July 18, 2022

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Copyright 2010-21 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

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The FirstEnergy Ohio utilities have filed for approval of a second phase of their grid modernization plan, which would include the installation of an additional 700,000 AMI meters

Upon completion of phase II, two-thirds of customers at the FirstEnergy Ohio utilities would have smart meters

As part of grid mod II, the EDCs are seeking approval for a smart thermostat rebate (STR) program that would, "provide all active and new AMI-enabled residential customers throughout the Grid Mod I and Grid Mod II deployment area with a rebate opportunity for the purchase of an ENERGYSTAR certified Smart Thermostat ('Smart Thermostat')."

"Customers will be able to purchase a Smart Thermostat and receive a rebate directly from the Companies or an instant rebate through a retail outlet or a dedicated website. The STR program will offer an incentive for smart thermostats using $50 per unit as an initial rebate level," the EDCs said

The EDCs said, "The STR program will also increase the opportunity for customer savings from time-varying rates, offered by the Companies or by competitive retail electric service ('CRES') providers."

The STR program has a projected total budget of approximately $3.54 million in O&M costs for the first four years of deployment. This includes approximately $1.19 million in Company and implementation contractor administrative costs and approximately $2.35 million in customer incentives.

"The Companies project that approximately 11,000 residential customers per year, for the four-year budget period of Grid Mod II, will participate in the STR program and receive a $50 rebate for the purchase of a qualified Smart Thermostat. The estimated STR program participation level of approximately 11,000 customers per year anticipates that the customers expected to participate in the Companies’ time varying rate could request a smart thermostat rebate," the EDCs said

The EDCs also proposed a Customer Energy Management program ('CEM') that would provide customers with Energy Updates ('Updates') and Customer Energy Management Reports ('Reports') containing customized information about their electricity usage and suggestions for how to reduce their usage leveraging their AMI data.

"The Updates will provide customers with easily understood information that engages and educates customers regarding their energy usage over time, such as by day of the week or time of day. The Reports will expand the customer education to include comparisons of the customer’s energy usage to prior periods such as seasonally, include education on key contributors to energy usage such as air-conditioning, and provide recommendations on how to save energy and money," the EDCs said

"The Companies project that approximately 310,000 AMI-enabled residential customers will initially participate in the CEM program, and that participation will increase to approximately 620,000 AMI-enabled residential customers during the four-year budget period of Grid Mod II," the EDCs said

Docket 22-0704-EL-UNC

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