Recovery Act Investment Helping Consumers To Better Manage Their Energy Use and Save Energy

Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that more than five million smart meters have been installed nationwide as part of Recovery Act-funded efforts to accelerate modernization of the Nation's electric grid. Smart meters will provide utility companies with greater information about how much electricity is being used throughout their service areas. They will also give consumers access to real-time information about their energy consumption, allowing them to make well-informed decisions about how they use their electricity.

"To compete in the global economy, we need a modern electricity grid," said Secretary Chu. "An upgraded electricity grid will give consumers choices and promote energy savings, increase energy efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy resources."

Transforming the Nation's current electric grid into a more intelligent "smart" system involves a wide range of advanced technologies - including smart meters -that will improve the reliability and security of the grid, allow for the integration of renewable energy sources and help prevent blackouts and restore power more quickly when outages occur. Nearly 90 percent of the meters installed to date are in Florida, Texas, California, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Nevada.