Frost & Sullivan honored utilities for their societal and business impacts on their journey to reduce energy and water waste at the opening General Session of Itron Utility Week. Read the full press release below.

Frost & Sullivan recognized the recipients of its annual Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards, Pepco Holdings (Pepco and Delmarva Power), and Carlsbad Municipal Water District, for their commitment and ability to significantly reduce energy and water use as a result of recent and successful technology implementation. The achievements of these utilities were recognized during Itron Utility Week in Marco Island, Fla.

Pepco Holdings was recognized for its Energy Wise Rewards and newly launched BYOD program enhancement, which allows the company to reduce air conditioning run times on peak demand days.

Pepco Holdings was also recognized for its Thermostat Optimization programs. These programs allow the company to adjust customer thermostat temperature set points throughout the year to generate savings for customers. The program offers a customized Virtual Energy Assessment that suggests an energy-efficiency program that would be most beneficial to the customer. The assessment is developed based on energy consumption, weather, and thermostat data.

"The strategy by Pepco Holdings, and Delmarva Power to add BYOD to its Energy Wise Rewards program is closely aligned with key customer trends and needs. These companies are being recognized for the second year in a row due to their continued effort to improve their customer-service oriented programs. Frost & Sullivan anticipates the penetration rate of smart thermostats to reach 63.7% in North America by the end of 2025. By capturing BYOD customers, these companies will be in a position to further improve the utility's ability to reach its resourcefulness goals," said Farah Saeed, Research Director, Digital Grids at Frost & Sullivan.

The Carlsbad Municipal Water District developed a plan to improve its meter reading efficiency, improve system maintenance, reduce its water loss and increase water conservation. The utility took a 12-year plan and reduced it to a five-year replacement plan by switching to automated meter reading technology; it has deployed over 30,000 water meters equipped with intelligent communication modules. With this new advanced system, the utility can troubleshoot and identify abnormally high water usage by customers. By utilizing proactive customer outreach, the utility has helped customers reduce their consumption by 37% within six months.

Frost & Sullivan believes the Carlsbad Municipal Water District has delivered exceptional results through its strategic investments in progressive solutions that resourcefully manage its water supplies.

"Carlsbad Municipal Water District took a thorough and careful approach to integrate the AMI network and overcame the challenges of a hilly topography. The water agency exemplifies a public entity that takes its responsibility for sustainability very seriously, especially given the location of a drought-prone area along with its ongoing risk of wildfires," stated Saeed.

As part of the selection process, Frost & Sullivan conducted in-depth research and interviews and evaluated utilities against industry best practices and the decision criteria, including societal impact and business impact for each category. Indicators for societal impact included improving customer awareness and participation, enabling behavioral change to reduce waste through customer engagement and technology-driven programs, and yielding impressive waste reduction results that benefit the overall served community. Indicators for business impact included drafting a clear vision to address excessive waste through technology implementation, achieving operational effectiveness as a result of successful strategy for sustainability, and strengthening a utility's brand image as a leader for sustainability.