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Showing posts with label usage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label usage. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

GE Energy Helps Launch New U.S. Industrial Energy Efficiency Coalition

19 March 2012
GE Energy Helps Launch New U.S. Industrial Energy Efficiency Coalition
 

  • GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions Business Joins IEEC to Advocate for Policies that Boost Industrial Energy Efficiency, Productivity
  • IEEC Leveraging Industrial Controls and Automation Expertise of GE and Other Charter Members
  • Alliance to Promote Solutions to Help U.S. Manufacturers Reduce Energy Usage 25 to 30 Percent

PLAINVILLE, Conn. — March 19, 2012 — GE Energy’s (NYSE: GE) Industrial Solutions business has joined the new Industrial Energy Efficiency Coalition (IEEC) as a founding member. The IEEC is a unique alliance of industrial controls and automation suppliers advocating for new federal policies that encourage manufacturers to implement energy efficiency strategies to boost their productivity and sustainability.
With U.S. industries consuming one third of the country’s energy, the industrial sector has a significant opportunity to achieve substantial energy savings of 25 to 30 percent over the next 25 years by installing new controls and automation technologies. However, current government policies and investments are failing to adequately address these potential energy saving opportunities.
The IEEC was established to leverage its members’ collective expertise in controls and automation to promote processes, best practices, technologies and standards to help ensure the most efficient use of electrical energy by the U.S. industrial sector.
“We are proud to unite with other industry leaders in helping the IEEC advocate for new policies and programs that encourage greater investment in industrial energy management and services,” said Sergio Corbo, chief marketing officer for GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions business. “This will dramatically increase energy efficiency and plant modernization throughout the country’s industrial ecosystems.”
The IEEC is administered by NEMA the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers. In addition to GE, other charter members of the consortium include ABB, Eaton, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, and Siemens. Together, these founding members supply an estimated 75 percent of the industrial controls purchased by U.S. companies.
Leading the future of electrification around the globe, GE Energy's Industrial Solutions business forges strong relationships with customers, identifies and solves challenges and invests in innovative technologies that help create a cleaner, smarter and more efficient electrical infrastructure. Operating in more than 60 countries, GE’s dedicated teams from electrical distribution, industrial services and power electronics manufacture and service products for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food and beverage and unconventional fuels.
Follow GE Energy on Twitter @GE_Energy.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Smart Meters to Be Installed

News release from Southern California Edison:


Southern California Edison to Install Smart Meters in North Coast Area


ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 8, 2012 – Southern California Edison (SCE) has started installing smart electric meters in the North Coast area as part of the Edison SmartConnect program. The technology will enable SCE residential and small-business customers to take advantage of new programs and services in the near future.


Communities in the upcoming installation phase include Camarillo, Carpinteria, Goleta, Isla Vista, Montecito, Oak View, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara, Santa Paula, Ventura, Summerland and a small part of Fillmore and Moorpark.


Edison SmartConnect meters are digital, secure, two-way communicating devices. They are replacing traditional mechanical meters and provide a key step in transforming the electric system to a smart grid. Customers with smart meters will have access to their daily energy usage data through SCE.com. By signing up to receive e-mail, voice or text message alerts, customers can track usage against a monthly budget target of their choice, and reduce bills.
SCE began introducing these programs and services last year and more than 1.5 million customers now have access to them. More customers will be able to make better-informed decisions about energy use by enrolling in the smart meter-enabled programs and services throughout this year.


"Over the past several years, we have focused on developing an industry-leading smart meter program, including extensive testing of our smart meters and associated systems to ensure their quality and performance," said Ken Devore, director of SCE’s Edison SmartConnect program. "Smart meters will empower our customers to become better managers of their electricity usage through new tools, programs and services that will help them save energy and money, and help protect the environment."


Once advanced features are fully activated, SCE’s smart meters will be able to communicate with the next generation of smart thermostats, appliances and other devices.


The first smart meter in the Edison SmartConnect program was installed in September 2009 in Downey. Installations will continue through 2012 to a total of nearly 5 million SCE residential and small-business customers in the utility’s 50,000-square-mile service territory. To date, SCE has installed approximately 3.9 million smart meters.

SCE is partnering with Corix Utilities Inc. to perform most of the installations. Here is some important information for customers receiving the new meters:

  • Customers will receive advance notice by mail when installations are scheduled in their neighborhood. 
  • Customers do not need to be home, but should provide clear access to their meters. The installer will leave a door hanger indicating if the installation was successful, or if an appointment for installation is required due to access issues.
  • During a typical residential installation, customers will experience a short power interruption of less than a minute. As an extra measure of protection, customers are encouraged to plug electronic equipment, such as personal computers and televisions, into power surge protectors. Typically, no service interruption is required for smart meter installations at small businesses.
  • Customers who operate life support medical equipment at their addresses, or have concerns about power interruptions, may call SCE at 1-800-973-2356.
  • Corix installers carry identification indicating they are approved SCE contractors. 
  • Smart meter customers will receive follow-up mail, notifying them when new program features and services are available and how to access them.
For more information, please go to www.sce.com/edisonsmartconnect. To view videos about Edison SmartConnect, visit sce.com/smartfutureor YouTube.com/SCE.


Edison SmartConnect is a $1.6 billion program authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission. SCE's smart metering program was designed to help achieve California’s energy policy goals, relating to improved electric system reliability, customer energy efficiency and demand response, and reduced environmental impact. As an example, sustained energy conservation, resulting from customer response to energy use information, is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants by an estimated 365,000 metric tons per year – the equivalent of removing 79,000 cars from the road.


About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.         
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