Xcel energy introduces new smart meter set to be installed throughout their Texas service area

Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read

Xcel Energy installed its first smart electric meter in Amarillo Monday morning as a part of a multiyear project to bring customers cleaner, safer and more reliable energy through advanced grid technology.

The first instillation occurred in a home on the 7700 block of Pinnacle Drive. The energy company stated that approximately 140 of these new meters are to be installed daily with an estimated goal of more than 275,000 of the new devices in Xcel Energy’s Texas service area over the next two years.

Adrian J. Rodriguez, president of Xcel Energy - Texas said in a news release: “We’re excited to take this next step in building a smarter, more resilient and efficient energy grid and making it easier than ever for customers to understand and manage their energy use ... Smart meters are the starting point for this advanced grid, boosting reliability and providing new tools and technology to help customers lower costs.”

Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.

According to Xcel Energy the Smart meters have been installed on close to 80% of homes and businesses in the U.S. as of the end of 2022. Among the benefits of this technology is the ability for Xcel Energy to know when a customer’s power service has been disrupted without the customer calling in an outage. This will help us respond to outages more quickly.

The new meters also provide customers the ability to monitor their power use in near real-time through the My Account feature at xcelenergy.com and through the company app. The Energy company said this additional insight will help customers find ways to use electricity more efficiently and save money on their bills.

Xcel Energy stated that they have made significant investments in the power grid serving Texas customers over the past decade, primarily by boosting the capacity and reliability of the system through new and improved lines and substations.

Xcel said their next step in this modernization includes new tools and technology such as smart meters that empower customers to manage their energy use better while improving reliability and helping Xcel Energy restore power more quickly after an outage. In addition, smart meters will give customers near real-time energy use data that they will be able to access through the company’s My Account app, or via xcelenergy.com. Customers will also have access to programs and services that will help them better understand their energy use and how to improve efficiency and find more savings.

Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.
Xcel energy installs the first new electric smart meter in Amarillo Monday morning at a residence in the 7700 block of Pinnacle Dr. The new electric meters are set to be installed throughout their entire Texas service area within two years.

"These new smart meters will collect information on customer usage at more frequent time intervals than our existing meters, essentially today customers are able to see how much energy they use in total over the course of a month and these new meters allow us to see energy usage in intervals throughout the day as quickly as every 15 minutes," said Brooke Trammell, regional VP Regulatory and Pricing for Xcel Energy.

Xcel Energy stated that homeowners will be notified multiple times via a 90, 60 and 30 day notices in advance before the instillation of the new meters as well as customer communications. In total the process can take up to about five minutes for then new smart meter instillation which will be conducted by Xcel energy personnel.

According to the company home owners do have the option to opt out of the instillation for the new smart meter and for an additional meter fee and monthly reading fee can receive an updated version of the meter that they are currently utilizing.

For more information on the new smart meter or information on Xcel Energy’s Advanced Grid initiative, visit them online at xcelenergy.com/SmartMeter.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Xcel Energy installs first of many smart meters in Amarillo