“SmartMeterTexas.com gives Texans more control over their electricity use,” said Public Utility Commission (PUC) Chairman Barry Smitherman. “Smart meters increase reliability, enhance customer choice and enable demand response.”

The secure Website is available both to residential and business electric customers who have had traditional mechanical meters replaced with digital smart meters. Customers should have their most recent electric bill on hand when visiting the Website to establish proper identification. The PUC has authorized four transmission and distribution utilities (TDU) to deploy smart meters for their customers:
• ONCOR
• CenterPoint Energy
• AEP Texas Central
• AEP Texas North

Today more than one million customers with smart meters in the Oncor and CenterPoint Energy territories can use the Website. Eventually, more than 6.3 million Texas electric customers will be able to manage their electricity use through SmartMeterTexas.com. It could take up to 60 days after smart meter installation before a customer’s information is on the Website. Smart meter deployment in the American Electric Power (AEP) Texas North and Texas Central areas is expected to begin during the second quarter of 2010.

IBM developed SmartMeterTexas.com and will operate it under the direction of the TDUs. Website features include secure access to electricity usage in 15-minute intervals. Future enhancements will let customers register devices inside their homes and businesses to give customers more choice and control. The Website complies with standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The new Website will not include information for municipal utility or electric cooperative customers. SmartMeterTexas.com also is not available for electric customers located outside the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region. SmartMeterTexas.com is designed only for customers in competitive retail electric markets of Texas.