By Andrew Knittle
Gary and Pam Clinton's home in south Norman became the first household in the state to receive a new smart meter from OG&E Monday morning.
OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said all of Norman's 42,000 customers -- business and residential -- will get the new $120 meters, which can be installed in less than five minutes. He said installers will be out during the coming months replacing up to 800 meters per day until about May.
Alford said the project in Norman will cost about $20 million to complete, but OG&E's long-term goal is to replace every customer's meter.
"We'll eventually be rolling these out statewide," he said. "It lays the foundation for our customers to be better managers of their energy consumption."
The estimated cost to replace all of OG&E's meters is expected to come in at around $300 million, Alford said. He said if everything goes according to plan, a $130 million stimulus grant could help move the project along at a brisker pace and lessen the impact on the energy company's customers.
"The stimulus funds would definitely accelerate the process," Alford said, adding that OG&E has yet to find out whether they'll be receiving the funds.
Gary Clinton, whose home at 1015 Lincoln Green received the maiden smart meter, said he was happy Norman was chosen to get the new devices. He said he's applied to take part in a 3,000-household study with OG&E, which will allow him and others the chance to monitor their energy consumption with either an in-house device or secure online portal.
Clinton said he hasn't learned whether he's been selected to take part in the study, but he's looking forward to the prospect.
"We'd be interested to see what we could do (to) save energy costs ... do what we can to help the environment," he said.
Alford acknowledged that installing the new smart meters in Norman could mean the loss of jobs for many of OG&E's meter readers. He said the company's already applied for stimulus funds to help "re-educate" the men and women who may be displaced, but didn't comment on exactly how many could lose their jobs.
"That remains to be seen at this point," Alford said. "But that doesn't mean there won't be other opportunities for these people ... we just don't know yet."
Alford said the new meters will help reduce the number of crew deployments for termination of service calls and improve customer service, among others.
Ken Grant, the company's smart grid team leader, said Norman was chosen because its citizens, city government, the University of Oklahoma and local businesses demonstrated an above-average concern for the environment, including the city's curbside recycling program, initiatives to increase green space and OU's commitment with OG&E to use 100 percent wind power by 2013.
"Norman is a logical choice for one of the nation's first comprehensive smart grid communities," Grant said. "The early response from customers and community leaders has been very positive."
Grant also said Norman was attractive because it has a high concentration of rental properties, which usually means more calls to dispatch a crew to service the property.
Andrew Knittle 366-3540 aknittle@normantranscript.com
