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Southern Company Reaches Milestone in Smart Meter Program with 1 Million Installations
Smart Meters increase efficiency for Southern Company and for 1 million customers and counting
PRNewswire
NYSE: SO
ATLANTA, Ga. - March 5, 2009 - Southern Company announced today that it has installed 1 million Smart Meters, achieving a milestone in an advanced electricity metering program that will eventually see 4.4 million meters in place for its customers across the Southeast. The program - which integrates advanced metering, communications and other innovative technologies to provide superior customer service at reduced operating costs - is producing direct benefits for the customer, the environment and the company while positioning the company to employ additional features of the technology in the future. The initiative began in January 2008 and will deploy Smart Meters for customers of Southern Company's electric utility subsidiaries Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power. The company is installing about 4,500 meters each day. In addition to reducing operating costs that can help keep rates lower for customers, the company expects the program to lessen environmental impact. Southern Company, for example, expects to reduce the vehicle fleet used for meter reading by at least 500, saving 12.5 million miles of driving annually and producing direct benefits in lower vehicle emissions. Once fully deployed, the Smart Meter program may also allow customers to manage energy consumption, helping them to be more efficient by providing detailed energy usage information and innovative rate options. "Southern Company continues to be an industry leader in adopting technology that benefits customers while reducing environmental impact," said Southern Company CEO David Ratcliffe. "The company's progress in the Smart Meter program underscores our commitment to customer service and environmental responsibility." Installing Smart Meters throughout Southern Company's territory lays the groundwork for many potential technology opportunities and benefits in the future as well. Those include:
Southern Company's program is based on the Sensus FlexNet® Advanced Metering Infrastructure network, which uses advanced technology that allows for a range of features, including meter reading for monthly billing, two-way communication between customers and the company, outage detection, and remote reconnects and disconnects. With 4.4 million customers and more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company is the premier energy company serving the Southeast. A leading U.S. producer of electricity, Southern Company owns electric utilities in four states and a growing competitive generation company, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and retail electric prices that are significantly below the national average. Southern Company has been listed the top ranking U.S. electric service provider in customer satisfaction for nine consecutive years by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Visit our Web site at www.southerncompany.com. Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080801/SOCOLOGO SOURCE: Southern Company Web site: http://www.southerncompany.com/ ### Media Contact: Valerie Holpp, Southern Company Media Relations, +1.404.506.5333 or +1.866.506.5333, media@southerncompany.com |