City council previews customer utility portal

Reprinted with permission from the Claremore Progress. This article originally appeared on Jun 21, 2016. Support local journalism with a subscription or a day pass for $1.99 :)

The city council recently previewed new data and features that will soon be available to Claremore residents through a customer portal related to the new smart meter system provided by General Electric.

Deputy Director for Claremore Public Works Authority Larry Hughes presented the information to the council on Monday, Sept. 21.

Claremore City Manager Jim Thomas said, “I have used myself as an example. I did not realize what my sprinkler system was using, and I have my sprinkler system come on automatic ... I also did not realize how much electricity I use when you are watching TV, running the dishwasher, so this is going to be a great tool for every resident.”

The data can be exported to a spreadsheet and usage is broken down into hourly increments. The electric customer portal will first show usage by hour — but as the site is optimized, it will have the capability to show usage for every 15 minutes.

To get the data exported into an Excel spreadsheet, a customer will have to go through the utility department. Hughes said he is currently speaking with General Electric to make the spreadsheets available through the portal.

Currently, customers cannot access the portal — the site has yet not been optimized and not every customer has access to this particular data.

The example used at a recent city council meeting was Thomas’ account, and it showed that in a 24-hour period about 16,000 gallons of water was consumed.

“When I look at this (customer portal), I can tell when I shower, or when I am running the dishwasher or washing clothes, because it gives by hour. ...

“It wasn’t until I saw this that I recognized how much my sprinkler systems are using. So I will either cut in it in half or go to once a week or twice a week.”

Larry Hughes showed that Thomas can also look at data provided on the customer portal and see 2 kilowatt hours were consumed at specific times and over a 24-hour period.

Included in the spreadsheet for electric consumption are temperature and humidity readings for every hour, obtained at the Claremore regional airport.

“The thing that impressed me when I looked at this is, at three in the morning, we are still using power, and we are sound asleep. Part of it is your air conditioner — the computer is plugged in, the refrigerator. I mean, even when you are sleeping you are pulling energy,” Thomas said.

Hughes said this would give people the opportunity to keep journals and document usage, and ultimately determine where electricity is consumed. He also said the utility department is anxiously awaiting the launch of the customer portal.

Thomas said the goal is to have the capability for customers to access the portal by the end of December.

“Right now the site is just in the testing period, and I was one being tested, and I told Larry (Hughes) to show my numbers — I am not opposed to showing my usage, but this is where we are going with the technology,” Thomas said.

Hughes said residents can expect training sessions offered at various times for individuals wanting more information.

Thomas mentioned a recent rate study with GRDA, and said the city is expecting an increase to take effect at the beginning of next year.

“We are anticipating a five percent increase in January of 2016. Mayor Flanagan, Larry Hughes and a couple of other people attended a briefing last week. As it relates to the City of Claremore, we are looking at a 4.22 percent increase, as of now no decision has been made,” said Thomas.

Claremore residents can expect an informational newsletter, Smart Meters and Claremore Electric in their upcoming bills.

“As we continue to have conversations with individual residents there just seems to be we have not communicated enough as it relates to smart meters,” Thomas said. “There continues to be misinformation floating out there on various social media outlets, and so what Mr. Hughes and I have put together is a letter that will be an insert in the next two billing sessions.”

Some Claremore utility customers have complained recently about increases in their electric bills. Some have voiced concern that the recently installed smart meters are not providing accurate readings.

Thomas said he visited with seven residents who were concerned about billing increases the week prior. He also said he wanted to reiterate that the city does not charge a demand charge for residential customers.

“Larry and I made house calls this week. I do not know of any other municipality that makes house calls, but we are willing to do that,” Thomas said.