Many in the utility industry are excited about the potential for leveraging smart meters in homes and businesses to help customers make better use of energy—often without having to think about it.

Smart meters measure energy use on a periodic basis (typically hourly) and report back to the utility over a digital communications network, doing away with the need for monthly manual meter reads. They allow utilities to offer price plans that let customers save money and reduce pollution by shifting energy use from peak to off-peak periods, such as nighttime or early morning.

Newer smart meters, such as those PG&E is installing throughout its service area, can also communicate with in-home displays that show customers how much energy they are using and at what price. The meters also communicate with smart thermostats and appliances, which can be programmed to operate during hours when there's less demand for power and lower prices.

It’s easy to rhapsodize about this vision but very hard to pull it off. It’s an enormous challenge just to test and install millions of new meters, build out a huge communications network to support them and then manage the tidal wave of data they transmit.

The secrets of PG&E’s telecommunications technology labby Jonathan Marshall

Highlights:

The secrets of PG&E’s telecommunications technology lab

New helicopter makes flying safer and more environmentally friendly

Retiree Club Activities

Tributes and Retirements

August 2010

Alumni Advocates: 415-972-5803PG&E Outage Hotline: 800-743-5002PG&E Customer Services: 800-743-5000PG&E Pension Payroll: 415-973-3767Pacific Service Credit Union: 888-858-6878Pacific Service Employees Association: 800-272-7732 San Joaquin Power Employees Credit Union: 800-637-5993E-mail: alumniadvocates@pge.comWeb: https://myportal.pge.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Retiree News

This article was originally posted on NEXT100.com, PG&E’s in-depth look at the intersection of clean energy business and the environment.

continued on back

By turning every customer into a detective, we will all have the power to useenergy more efficiently, lower bills and spare the environment.

RetirementsLloyd C. Barker3/21/2010; Ret. 8/1/1979Steam Generation; Humboldt

Earl B. Barrick6/21/2010; Ret. 11/1/1993Capital Investment; Yosemite Division

Everette J. Braudrick6/22/2010; Ret. 9/1/1991Line Construction; Engineering and Construction Business Unit

William C. Bryson6/10/2010; Ret. 2/1/2007Gas Construction; Area 2

John E. Cambra6/11/2010; ActivePittsburg Power Plant; Steam Generation

Norman L. Chamberlain6/22/2010; Ret. 1/1/1995Gas Transmission and Regulation; Sacramento

Donald Clancy6/5/2010; Ret. 3/1/1986Customer Services; East Bay

C. Edward Demers6/8/2010; Ret. 10/1/1981Transportation; North Bay

Wallace W. Fong6/15/2010; Ret. 5/1/2010General Construction; Area 1

Rita Gilmore6/17/2010; ActiveLaw

Harold E. Grotzinger6/9/2010; Ret. 7/1/1980Electric; San Joaquin

Warren E. Harris6/7/2010; Ret. 1/1/1995Maintenance; Hydro Generation

Robert E. Hess6/15/2010; Ret. 1/1/1982Operations; Pacific Gas Transmission Company

Joseph Hyland6/22/2010; Ret. 7/1/1987Customer Accounting; General Office

John R. Johnson Jr.2/18/2010; Ret. 10/1/1994Electric Substation; North Valley

Robert S. McCormick6/19/2010; Ret. 6/1/1993Ukiah Office; Russian River Division

William J. McKinley6/10/2010; Ret. 11/1/1993Gas and Electric Operations; San Jose Division

John Moran6/5/2010; Ret. 1/1/1984Gas; San Francisco

Kenneth W. Owens6/20/2010; Ret. 4/1/1987Personnel and Administrative Services; General Construction

Estelita Ramos6/5/2010; Ret. 6/1/1997Payables Accounting; General Office

Barbara J. Walczak5/29/2010; ActiveSupport Services

Mark E. Wheeler5/23/2010; ActiveHydro Maintenance; Power Generation

Alfred F. White6/17/2010; Ret. 6/1/1980Division Customer Services; East Bay

UPDATED JUNE RETIREES

James Adams31 years of service

Ash Agboatwala30 years of service

Robert Anderson19 years of service

Victor Bacal26 years of service

Ophelia Basgal5 years of service

Robert Bigley40 years of service

Virginia Blackburn30 years of service

Charrise Boykin32 years of service

Arthur Browner37 years of service

James Campbell25 years of service

Noreen Cardinale33 years of service

Eugene Chan37 years of service

Paula Christian41 years of service

Donna Crittendon31 years of service

Randolph Cullar38 years of service

Robert Faga32 years of service

Gary Faith37 years of service

James Gerkensmeyer39 years of service

Harvey Gomes41 years of service

James Goodman42 years of service

Michael Grinstead39 years of service

Matthew Hansen25 years of service

John Kieft36 years of service

Robert Knowles15 years of service

David Law32 years of service

James Macias35 years of service

Barbara Madrid30 years of service

Michael Marquis40 years of service

Denton Miller37 years of service

William Murray33 years of service

Robert Needham33 years of service

Roy Owens40 years of service

John Perez40 years of service

Jose Puentes39 years of service

Peter Ramirez34 years of service

David Rodgers36 years of service

Maria Rojas39 years of service

June Ruckman25 years of service

Jerry Sharp37 years of service

Lawrence Simi30 years of service

Gary Simuns33 years of service

James Smith30 years of service

Arnold Streetman37 years of service

William Weathers31 years of service

Vesta West44 years of service

Howard Willis41 years of service

Jonnye Wilson27 years of service

Tributes

You may hear a lot of praise for the new MD520N helicopter that PG&E has been using—but that should be all you hear. That’s because the 520N is 50 percent quieter than most helicopters. The elimination of a traditional high-tip-speed tail rotor helps reduce noise pollution for our customers when working in populated areas or where noise is objectionable.

Besides being more environmentally friendly, the 520 is also one of the safest helicopters in the world. The NOTAR anti-torque system replaces a conventional tail rotor, reducing noise and the chance of an accident occurring where the tail rotor could strike objects in flight. The 520N is also more stable and easier to control than most helicopters.

According to Senior Transmission Specialist Ken McClure, the new helicopter is a workhorse able to take on multiple functions such as longline work, wire pulls, patrols and reconductor jobs.

“The new MD520N NOTAR helicopter will help reduce the noise impact our work has on the environment while conducting helicopter operations. This will also reduce the noise impact to our customers when it is used in sensitive areas for patrols,” McClure said.

Since coming online in March, the 520N has quietly seen action all over our service territory. PG&E contracts with several helicopter service providers. The 520N is owned and operated by PJ Helicopters.

New helicopter makes flying safer and more environmentally friendly

It will be another huge challenge to make the new meters communicate seamlessly with consumer energy displays from dozens of manufacturers, and appliances like smart washing machines that start their loads only when electricity prices drop to a programmed level.

And it will likely be an even more immense challenge to integrate all this infrastructure with “smart chargers” that “refuel” electric vehicles when the utility signals that power is available cheaply.

If PG&E and other utilities overcome these challenges, some of the credit will surely be due to PG&E’s Technology Innovation Center, including its high-tech communications laboratory based in San Ramon.

Lab Manager Arthur Anderson explained, “The idea is for us to identify emerging technologies early and to analyze the risks here, rather than in a production setting. Here they can fail with no risk to PG&E or our customers.”

The lab includes a shielded RF room, which tests radio transmitters and receivers under a wide range of temperatures, interference and other conditions to measure power, sensitivity, signal clarity and reliability.

The lab also tests whether devices communicate according to accepted standards—which a surprising number don’t. A lot of small companies evidently don’t have the resources to master the new “smart energy” standards, and some bigger ones haven’t shown the focused commitment necessary to make their gear work.

Until they do, Anderson said, PG&E won’t seriously consider their products. The utility won’t allow its customers to be used as beta testers for anyone’s next-generation technology, no matter how great the marketing claims.

In fact, the lab has helped even the best vendors in the field discover and work out bugs that could jeopardize performance. “Every device we’ve worked with, we’ve found issues in intensive testing,” Anderson said. “We are working together toward solutions.”

The lab will be supporting small field trials later this year, using selected PG&E employees to test the functionality of so-called “home area networks” that integrate smart meters, energy displays and energy controllers. The trials will test the ability to introduce new devices (like off-the-shelf energy monitors) to the network, receive pricing signals from the utility and help customers understand and manage energy use to lower their bills.

Customers are going to be asking a lot of good questions once they get their hands on these displays and finally have a chance to analyze what’s sucking up their electrons—and their dollars. By turning every customer into a detective, we will all have the power to use energy more efficiently, lower bills and spare the environment.

For information about PG&E’s SmartMeterTM program, go to www.pge.com/smartmeter.

The secrets of PG&E’s telecommunications technology labcontinued from front

Retiree Club ActivitiesAugust 6: East Bay AssociatesLuncheon: Francesco’s, OaklandDavid Schwoegler: 925-989-5488

August 11: Stockton/StanislausPicnic: Micke Grove Park, LodiLarry Niskern: 209-477-7810

August 17: SacramentoLuncheon: Vince’s, Elk GroveArlene Cook: 916-988-8905

August 26: Los PadresBBQ: Cuesta Park, SLORuss Taylor: 805-995-1393

August 23-27: Reddy RoversOuting: PlymouthBruce Muller: 707-523-3382

September 2: Fresno Luncheon: Pardini’s, Fresno Ben Neuman: 559-442-1581

September 7: San Jose/De Anza Luncheon: Three Flames Bob Jeffries: 408-225-2772

September 8: Coast Valley/Moss LandingLuncheon : Spreckels, Memorial ParkRay Morasco: 831-449-5161

September 8: Stockton/Stanislaus Luncheon: Moose Lodge Larry Niskern: 209-477-7810

September 9: East Bay Associates Picnic: Pleasanton Fairgrounds David Schwoegler: 925-989-5488

September 14: San Francisco/Peninsula Luncheon: Elks Club, SSF Bob Hillman: 650-583-2799

September 14: Sierra Colgate Luncheon: Plaza Room, Yuba City Jim Edwards: 530-671-0449

September 15: North Valley South Picnic: Durham Park, Durham Ken Brent: 530-865-4294

September 15: Sierra Drum Luncheon : Lake of the Pines Eugene Smith: 530-885-3098

September 17: North Valley Shasta Picnic: Anderson River Park Don Mason: 530-527-1027

September 23: Los Padres Luncheon: IOOF Hal, SLO Russ Taylor: 805-995-1393