Lafayette Consolidated Government, LA Smart Grid Project

The Lafayette Consolidated Government, located in Lafayette, Louisiana, will receive $11.6 million in funding to develop a smarter, more efficient energy grid. The U.S. Department of Energy selected Lafayette Consolidated Government as one of 100 companies to receive federal stimulus funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) Smart Grid project involves the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), distribution automation equipment, and advanced monitoring equipment for the transmission system. LUS expects the smart meters to reduce meter reading costs, lower vehicle emissions through fewer truck rolls, and enable advanced electric services for its customers. These services include an enhanced Web portal and introduction of time-based rate programs. A network of new transmission and distribution assets provides improved reliability, reduced grid operations and maintenance costs, reduced outage duration, reduced peak loads, and reduced overall energy usage across LUS’s service territory.

Equipment

• 62,300 Smart Meters
• AMI Communication Systems
• Meter Communications Network
• Backhaul Communications
• Meter Data Management System
• Customer Web Portal Access for 62,300 Customers
• 1,000 In-Home Displays
• 10,000 Direct Load Control Devices (Central Air-Conditioners)
• Distribution Automation Equipment for 80 out of 80 Distribution Circuits
• Automated Capacitors
• Transmission Line Monitoring Equipment

Targeted Benefits

• Reduced Meter Reading Costs
• Reduced Operating and Maintenance Costs
• Reduced Electricity Costs for Customers
• Improved Electric Service Reliability and Power Quality
• Reduced Costs from Equipment Failures, Distribution Line Losses, and Theft
• Deferred Investment in Transmission and Distribution Capacity Expansion
• Reduced Truck Fleet Fuel Usage
• Reduced Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Emissions