“Westar Energy is eager to work with an experienced and successful Smart Grid leader like eMeter to get it right. Westar strongly believes that our customers should come first. For this reason, we are installing the Smart Grid software platform before meter deployment to deliver a reliable and scalable system that immediately provides customers with accurate information on their energy use.”
Westar Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility in Kansas, providing electric service to about 684,000 customers in the state. Westar has approximately 7,100 megawatts of electric generation capacity and operates and coordinates more than 35,000 miles of electric distribution and transmission lines.
Westar selected eMeter to provide the necessary Smart Grid software to commence its SmartStar program in Lawrence, KS. Designed to give customers better insight into electricity use and cost information, the SmartStar program became a reality with a $19 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Investment Grant program.
eMeter software will provide the Smart Grid platform technology to enable Westar to better manage their business, operations and engage their customers in energy usage. Westar will employ EnergyIP as a platform to better integrate operations and manage their electrical grid by detecting outages, power loss and reducing peak demand as well as provide more detailed monthly bills to its customers. EnergyIP will enable Westar to rapidly deploy meter-to-cash, and serves as a flexible platform upon which Westar Energy can add other applications such as deployment planning, automated provisioning and asset tracking. Westar will employ eMeter’s Energy Engage to provide their customers with daily access to their electricity use and its costs via the web, emails or even text alerts making it easy for them to adjust their energy use and focus on energy conservation. Additionally, the new technology will allow Westar Energy to better connect renewable energy sources into the grid and prepare the grid for future energy needs including the integration of electric vehicles.