EPB, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based utility serving over 169,000 residents, says that its smart grid is saving the company and its customers both money and aggravation.
According to a report in The Chattanoogan, David Wade, an executive vice president at the utility, says that two recent events highlighted the benefits of a modernized grid. Last week, a windstorm left 3,500 customers without power, but Wade notes that the smart grid kept another 8,000 customers from going offline. In a second incident last week, a tree downed a power line that serves over 11,000 customers. The smart grid, however, redirected power and kept the lights on for more than 10,000 customers.
The utility’s smart grid is the product of a $111.6 million federal grant, and EPB President Harold DePriest says the smart grid represents an annual benefit of between $50 million and $60 million in productivity and outage prevention for customers.
Joe Ferguson, board chairman of EPB, told The Chatanoogan, “The investment is paying off handsomely."
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