Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and the University of Tulsa have teamed up on a project to install approximately 1,000 smart meters on and around the school’s campus, primarily on student apartments.

Installation of the meters will begin Saturday, March 17. This will be PSO’s first deployment of smart meters since approximately 14,000 of the devices were installed in Owasso in the spring of 2011.

"As we strive to identify new technologies that can help our students conserve resources and control energy costs, we welcome the installation of PSO's smart meters on TU's student apartments," said University President Steadman Upham.

With smart meters, PSO can remotely connect or disconnect service. In a campus environment, where students are continually moving in during the fall and out during the spring, having smart meters will save the time and cost of sending out a PSO employee for each connect or disconnect order.

Also, the meters, combined with access to a special Web portal, will allow account holders to view usage data and other information that can help in making informed decisions about individual energy use.

"The installation of smart meters on student apartment housing is a perfect opportunity to see how young, technology-savvy young people take advantage of information they will have available to help manage their energy usage and costs," said Derek Lewellen, PSO gridSMART project manager. "The number of meters we’ll install,

plus the fact that TU is a leader in the field of energy technology makes this partnership a natural fit."

Along with the on-campus installations, smart meters also will be installed on residences and commercial buildings located along the northern edge of the TU campus. Completion of the new smart meter installations is expected by March 26, when TU students return from spring break.

PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 530,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. With headquarters in Tulsa, PSO has 4,321 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 230 cities and towns across a service area encompassing 30,000 square miles. News releases and other information about PSO can be found on the World Wide Web at PSOklahoma.com.