Monthly Comparison of Residential Electric Rates
Source: Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) Monthly Utility Bill Comparison • January 2013
www.lakelandelectric.com
SMART METER INSTALLATION COMPLETE
Lakeland Electric just completed a successful Smart Meter implementation that replaced older analog mechanical meters with newer technology that uses low powered radio frequencies to share information with the utility company. Smart Meters allow Lakeland Electric to operate more efficiently and the meters offer many customer benefits. Lakeland Electric is working very closely with the US Department of Energy and the utility is considered a pioneer in Smart Meter programs. This $34 million project was funded through a grant from the US Department of Energy as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Lakeland Electric Smart Meter project is the largest municipal owned utility installation in the country that included a system-wide complete retrofit with over 122,000 meters that include the newer “smart” technology. The US Department of Energy uses Lakeland Electric as the model for Smart Meter integration. Randy Dotson, Smart Grid Operations Manager for Lakeland Electric said, “I am proud to say that a project of this scope and magnitude was accomplished within budget and on time. The entire project was completed in about 20 months.” He added, “There were many divisions and multiple City Departments that worked together including those from Lakeland Electric, Finance, Information Technology and Telecommunications that devoted a lot of hours to make the project a success.” Smart Meters are able to notify Lakeland Electric where an outage has occurred. This saves time and energy so your electricity is restored faster. The system reports exactly where the issue is so linemen can quickly repair the circuit instead of driving along a power line looking for the problem. Lakeland Electric is finalizing the testing for outage restoration so meters will announce when they are off line. The entire Smart Meter reporting system will be operational for the upcoming storm season. This is just one of the benefits that a Smart Meter and the associated Smart Grid system offers Lakeland Electric customers. Ultimately, Smart Meters provide customers with more detailed information about energy use. Currently 95% of the installed Smart Meters are billed using electronic reading. Very soon, all Smart Meters on the system will report monthly usage for billing purposes, eliminating the need for manual meter reads. This is more efficient and it allows customers to actively monitor power usage. Lakeland Electric customers now have more control over how much power is used – and when it is used.
There is a customized web portal available right now for customers to view their electric usage patterns with easy to read reports. Customers can save money and reduce environmental impacts by analyzing electricity use so power consumption is more efficient. The web portal is easy to use, secure and it only takes a few minutes to setup online. The portal displays daily, weekly and monthly electricity usage in detail. A customer’s energy graphs can be viewed in kilowatt hours (kWh) or dollars and cents. Customers also have the ability to view and compare their monthly billing trends. The web portal is constantly being upgraded to include additional customer friendly features. In the very near future, in home displays will be available that will allow customers without computers the ability to access the same information that is found on the web portal so they too can monitor the usage in their home. Lakeland Electric will also be offering a program for residential utility customers to prepay for their electricity — a set up that empowers citizens and saves money for the utility and its customers. The service is likened to buying gas at the pump: Customers purchase what they need when they need it. A customer can monitor their account and put money on their meter when it is getting low. Transforming the current electric grid into a more intelligent system involves a wide range of advanced technologies, including Smart Meters, which improve the reliability and security of the national energy grid. Please visit www. lakelandelectric.com to start your Smart Meter web portal access and to receive more information on the program.
JOY & RON BOWLING, SR. with their son CORY BOWLING and K-9 Partner- RIDDICK
LPD DEDICATES K-9 TRAINING FACILITY
On Friday, March 1, 2013 police officers, community leaders and citizens gathered at the Lakeland Police Department to honor retired police Sergeant Ron Bowling, Sr. Bowling dubbed "Polk County's father of K-9 training," was honored for starting the first program at the Lakeland Police Department and helping to build other K-9 teams across Polk County. For his years of dedication and service, the Lakeland Police Department has renamed their K-9 training facility the Sgt. Ron Bowling, Sr. Lakeland Police K-9 Training Facility.
SGT. Ron Bowing, Sr. with K-9 SARGE