Accenture Selected to Design Smart Meter System
Infrastructure
for ComEd Pilot Program
Data management infrastructure
will enable more responsive
and efficient customer service
CHICAGO, Sept. 21, 2009 ComEd, a unit of Exelon Corporation
(NYSE: EXC), has chosen Accenture (NYSE: ACN) to design and deploy
the data management system for its proposed Advanced Metering
Infrastructure (AMI) pilot. The pilot, if approved by the Illinois
Commerce Commission (ICC), will assess how advanced technology can
improve service reliability, help customers make smarter decisions
about energy use and contribute to lower energy costs and reduced
carbon emissions.
Accenture will help ComEd integrate the smart meter infrastructure,
including its data management system, with its existing information
technology systems and business processes. Accenture will also
collaborate with Itron, a leading provider of intelligent metering,
data collection and utility software solutions, to integrate
Itron`s Enterprise Edition Meter Data Management into ComEd`s
existing suite of applications. By using a services-oriented
architecture approach, Accenture will provide ComEd with a flexible
infrastructure that allows the utility to respond more quickly and
cost effectively to customer needs.
In its petition to the ICC, ComEd recommended that 141,000 smart
meters be deployed in 11 suburban communities and the city of
Chicago, as part of one of the most comprehensive tests of smart
meters in the nation.
"The ability to read meters remotely and receive data more quickly
with the smart meter system infrastructure will allow ComEd to
increase operational efficiencies," said Fidel Marquez, senior vice
president, Customer Operations, ComEd. "The information from the
meters coupled with the new data management system means that we
potentially can better utilize our field force, improve response to
power outages and reduce costs."
Kyle Jordan, a senior executive in Accenture`s Utilities industry
practice, said, "This smart meter pilot and new AMI infrastructure
well-positions ComEd to take its operational performance to a
higher level and to increase the level of customer satisfaction.
More importantly, the pilot enables ComEd to align its grid and
energy management strategies to Illinois` smart grid vision and
plans."
About Commonwealth Edison Company
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based
Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation`s largest electric
utilities, with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides
service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern
Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology
services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled
experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and
business functions, and extensive research on the world's most
successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help
them become high-performance businesses and governments. With
approximately 177,000 people serving clients in more than 120
countries, the company generated net revenues of US$23.39 billion
for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2008. Its home page is
www.accenture.com.