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Feb 1, 2010 - U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Briefed on NHEC Smart Grid Plans

PLYMOUTH, NH – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) visited the headquarters of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) to learn more about the company’s plans to implement smart grid technologies for which she helped secure funding through federal stimulus funds.

Beginning later this year, NHEC will begin installing the first of what will be a system-wide total of 83,000 “smart meters” across the length and breadth of its service territory. The meters are the backbone of NHEC’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that will use two-way communications as well as advanced sensors and controls to help reduce members' energy use, improve the efficiency and reliability of the electricity grid, facilitate the connection of distributed generation facilities to the system, and optimize the integration of renewable energy systems.

NHEC’s AMI project will also include a program that is meant to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of smart meters and AMI. Initially, NHEC will replace existing electric meters with new smart meters at 8,000 member homes located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. One thousand demand-response switches will be installed at members’ homes in the demonstration project area. These switches will remotely control devices such as water heaters or thermal storage devices, helping NHEC reduce its members’ peak load, thereby reducing the overall cost of electricity for the entire membership. In addition, 500 in-home displays will be delivered to selected members’ homes, allowing them to understand their energy use patterns, view real-time usage data, historical data and actual costs.

“The potential this offers for choices and the ability of your members to save energy and money is very exciting,” Shaheen said. “I really applaud what you’re doing.”

Shaheen was instrumental in securing federal grants for the project totaling $18.4 million. This total includes a Smart Grid Investment Grant of $15.8 million and a Smart Grid Demonstration Grant of $2.4 million. These grants were awarded by the Department of Energy using funds that are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The grant total will cover approximately 45% of the total project cost, dramatically reducing the expense that will be borne by NHEC’s member-owners.

“ARRA has been one of the largest single sources of funding for energy technologies,” Shaheen noted. “It’s a down payment on what we’ve got to do if we’re going to transition to the new energy economy.”

Given the demand for energy worldwide and the expense of getting new resources to market, NHEC Executive Vice President Ray Gosney acknowledged that electricity costs were likely to continue to rise in the future.

“However,” he said, “this technology will give our members a better handle on how and when they’re using energy. In combination with changes we can make in how our members pay for electricity, it can help offset that increase.”

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