Utilities Manager John Arrowsmith addresses community members at a recent public meeting. Courtesy/DPU

DPU News:

• Study Still Open to New Participants … Up to 1,000

Participation in the Mesa Smart Meter Study continues to grow this week as the final April 28 deadline nears, reported officials at the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU.)

Project collaborators are recruiting the final residents of North and Barranca Mesa to join this important local demand response study which will have global implications.

The DPU, Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Kyoto University researchers, and Toshiba are working together to measure electric usage behavior in response to pricing signals, called “demand response.”

The study is open to any residence in North Mesa and Barranca Mesa, with two weeks left to sign up. Recruitment for the study, which has garnered more than 500 participants so far, will close April 28 and study activities will be completed in February of 2014.

It is completely separate from a household’s electric bill, and there is no cost to participate.

The intake survey for the Mesa Smart Meter Study can be completed in 5 minutes and may be taken at: https://www.rmrsurveys2.com/LosAlamos.

A follow up mailing in May will let participants know of further details, including their study grouping.

Once the intake survey is completed a participant is officially entered into the Mesa Smart Meter Study.

Once demand response activities begin later in the summer and again in the winter, participants will review virtual pricing options for electricity and potentially managing their electric use based on those options.

Residents of North and Barranca Mesa are invited to learn more at http://www.losalamosnm.us/utilities/Pages/MesaSmartMeterStudy.aspx .

DPU customers on North and Barranca Mesas should know that this study is facilitated by, but separate from, the planned installation of smart meters on every electric service on both mesas which is part of DPU’s normal course of metering infrastructure upgrades.

DPU’s installations of the new metering equipment are scheduled to begin in May. Customers will receive notification prior to new meter installation at their residence.