SWEPCO will begin the next phase of advanced digital meter installations for Texas retail customers, including most residential and commercial customers, this fall.

Approximately 20,000 installations are planned for the Waskom and Marshall areas beginning in September followed by approximately 20,000 installations in the Henderson and Carthage areas beginning in October. This phase will wrap up with installations in Longview and Kilgore, likely to start in November.

In total, SWEPCO plans to install 195,000 meters across its Texas service territory.

SWEPCO’s Advanced Metering System uses advanced metering and secure wireless technology to provide timely and accurate meter reading data. Customers can use this data to better understand and manage their electricity usage.

In Texas, installations began in November 2021 with a pilot project of 10,000 meters in the Texarkana area. Since April, SWEPCO has been working to complete installations to the remaining 31,000 customers in that part of the state.

SWEPCO also plans to deploy advanced digital meters in Louisiana.

It began installing meters in parts of Northwest and Central Louisiana in late 2021. A proposal for a full deployment of advanced digital meters across Louisiana is before the Louisiana Public Service Commission. SWEPCO will be filing supplemental testimony in the proceeding in the third quarter of 2022 at the request of staff. 

The advanced meters, also known as smart meters, are part of SWEPCO’s grid modernization initiatives. AMS will replace SWEPCO’s current Automated Metering Reading system, which requires driving by customers’ premises for monthly meter reading, and physical visits to the locations for connection, disconnection or other meter services.