Honeywell said Wednesday it has been awarded a $15 million smart grid project by Connexus Energy, Minnesota’s largest customer-owned electric cooperative, to deploy advanced smart grid technology to improve electricity service and reliability, and help the utility’s 130,000 members better manage their energy consumption.
Under the project, Honeywell will install more than 138,000 of its EnergyAxis connected meters and its new SynergyNet mesh networking platform for the utility.
When completed in 2018, the fully integrated system will provide Connexus Energy with real-time data on customer’s energy consumption for more accurate billing, better management of usage, and the ability to more accurately detect meter tampering and outages for faster recovery, according to Honeywell.
Instead of relying on time-consuming manual meter data collection, Connexus Energy, whose service territory spans seven counties and covers 1,000 square miles in the northern part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, will be able to gather meter data at any time for a more accurate view of territory-wide usage.
The system also provides two-way connectivity for additional energy management measures, giving the utility more options for future efforts, including demand response programs and time-of-use pricing.
Honeywell provides complete smart grid and energy management solutions that drive energy efficiency, operational improvements and cost savings for utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and consumers.
