In an effort to make stronger operational decisions and bring the value and intelligence of its smart infrastructure directly to the hands of its customers, Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD) has chosen MeterSense and CustomerConnect, Harris Utilities' meter data and customer engagement solution (CES). MeterSense is an advanced MDM solution that transforms raw smart meter data into valuable business intelligence and enables utilities to improve business process and enhance customer service. CustomerConnect is a web-based data presentment tool that enables customers to access and interpret their consumption patterns, which helps to make smarter choices about resource use, reduce bills, and support utility conservation goals. BELD, which has been a customer of Harris Utilities since 1999, provides electric services to approximately 16,000 residential and business customers in eastern Massachusetts. The utility began the deployment of its advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in June 2011 and supplemented that new technology with an MDM and a CES to draw optimal value from its hardware investment. Specifically, it sought an MDM solution that integrated seamlessly with its existing enterprise solutions (including Harris Utilities' NorthStar customer information system), offered advanced analytics functions and automated routine processes. BELD also wanted a CES that was easy to use and could encourage more end users to participate in conservation programs. Transforming raw meter data into actionable intelligence "MeterSense was the obvious choice for our MDM solution because it offers a range of functionality that perfectly suits the needs of municipal electric utilities like us," said Gail Cohen, Business Manager at BELD. "We expect to use MeterSense to eliminate all the manual processes we follow now and therefore save time and money. We also plan to use the solution to help us make better business decisions about setting rates and making investments, and to perform deep analysis into events, alarms and losses on our grid so we can understand why these problems occur and solve them quickly." MeterSense offers two additional key benefits. First, its customizable rules engine enabled BELD to configure the application to the utility's precise needs and therefore yield the greatest value from AMI data. Second, its demonstrated capacity for integration gave the utility confidence that MeterSense would perform seamlessly with BELD's existing hardware and software technologies. Engaging end users in consumption-management initiatives "We chose CustomerConnect because it is easy to use—and remarkably sophisticated," she said. "We expect that by presenting consumption data to our customers on a near-real time basis, CustomerConnect will create a powerful connection for our customers between energy consumed and money spent. We hope that every BELD customer will want to use CustomerConnect, and we want to use the solution to promote our energy-savings programs to target audiences." Although BELD enjoys a long-standing relationship with Harris Utilities, the utility selected MeterSense and CustomerConnect because of the sophistication and simplicity of each solution and the potential of each to help BELD meet its operational and customer-service goals. Norm Daigle, executive vice-president of Harris Utilities SmartWorks—the innovation engine of Harris Utilities that created MeterSense and CustomerConnect—said the BELD implementation confirms the additional value that an MDM and a customer engagement solution can bring to a utility's smart grid solution. "AMI is an essential component of a smart grid solution," said Daigle. "Introduced on its own, however, it yields limited benefits. A utility that wants to get the most out of its smart grid investment must introduce an MDM like MeterSense to interpret raw data and turn that information into valuable business intelligence. A customer engagement solution such as CustomerConnect further boosts the value of the smart grid by connecting end users with meter data almost instantly." Braintree Electric Light Department
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