Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) recently selected TechRadium's patented IRIS™ technology to provide about 3000 of its residential and business customers with daily or weekly energy peak price messages as part of a smart grid study in Norman, Oklahoma. The IRIS solution communicates the peak kilowatt hour price to each study participant via voice recording, text message or e-mail, according to study participant's preferences.
According to Ken Grant, managing director of OG&E's Positive Energy® Smart Grid Program, the price information must be sent by 5 p.m. the day before the peak price is effective to allow customers time to determine if they want to modify their electricity use from 2-7 p.m. the next day and save energy and money on their electric bills. "Customers tell us they appreciate receiving the messages at a consistent time and ahead of the peak period so they can use energy more wisely," said Grant. "It will be interesting to see which delivery methods are most preferred by which study participants when we do an interim analysis of the study this fall."
OG&E is one of the nation's first electric utility providers to implement smart grid technology in such a comprehensive manner across its entire service territory and to study how customers can use it in their homes and businesses to improve energy efficiency. www.oge.com. www.techradium.com.
