Selected Connecticut municipally-owned electric utilities were chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) in October, 2009 to participate in a Smart Grid Investment Grant program. The ConnSMART program was one of 100 selected from a total of 416 applications received and is the only Connecticut application receiving funding through this grant program. ConnSMART will run from March 2010 to March 2015.

Program Background
The combination of the utilities’ customer focus and expertise and the DOE's 50% funding allows us to take a leading role together in bringing the smart grid to our region. ConnSMART will begin by introducing key elements of the smart grid over the next three years. Each participating utility will install new meters and communication and data processing equipment to serve selected customers in their area. The utilities will also collaborate to share infrastructure, best practices, and new technology in order to find the most effective solutions while keeping program costs low. Many customers will see new opportunities for reducing costs, saving energy, enhanced customer service, and more transparent reporting of their day to day and hour to hour energy use.

Program Overview

• The program is expected to last a decade, with the first three years planned under the grant award
• The total three-year program investment will be $18.4M, with the DOE providing $9.2M in grant funds
• Each participating utility will implement selected smart grid elements according to the unique needs of its customers, beginning with an initial pilot and expanding later to add more customers and additional service enhancements
• Each utility will start with a core installation: two-way meters, technology to communicate each meter’s data directly to the utility, software to “scrub” the data to make sure it is correct, and a new time of use (TOU) rate option to enable customers to save money by volunteering to reduce their usage during the most expensive hours
• Several utilities will also run smaller “pilot” projects to test direct thermostat controls, in-home displays, improved outage management, enhanced billing and customer service, and a website for customer information

At the end of the three years, the participants expect to expand the technology to cover more of their customers and add additional services.

Program Principles

• Communicate information and education to the customer
• Collaborate and share with other Connecticut municipal utilities
• Maintain a single point of contact for customer questions and service
• Assure that each utility has full control of its own data
• Share ongoing lessons learned among participants and with the DOE, customers, and the public