Over the next four to six weeks TXU Electric Delivery will be installing state-of-the-art, automated meters in DeLeon and surrounding communities.

 “We will have approximately 30 meter techs change out more than 21,000 meters,” said Paul Bennett, Area Manager for TXU Electric Delivery.

The first phase of the multi-year meter reading installation project has been completed in Brownwood.  DeLeon area communities involved will include Desdemona, Gorman, Carbon, Eastland, Ranger, Dublin and Stephenville.

 “Our ultimate goal is to progress from outage repair, to outage prevention.  The new technology will help minimize the number and duration of power outages by providing an ongoing picture of system outages and potential trouble spots.  The new system recently pinpointed a location with abnormal readings.  A serviceman was dispatched and repairs were made to tighten a loose connection, which prevented an outage,” Bennett said.

The new system will also improve meter reading by eliminating estimated readings, skipped meters and inconvenience to customers with hard-to-reach meters.

The technology includes a substation collector that sends a signal to the meter at the customer’s premise through the power line.  The meter responds by sending customer data, such as electricity use and voltage levels back over the substation power line.  The collector then sends billing information to various competitive electric retailers and, in turn, the customer’s retailer sends the electric bill. 

When fully implemented, the new system should make the move-in, move-out process more convenient by speeding up the disconnection and reconnection of electrical service.

 TXU Electric Delivery, a subsidiary of TXU Corporation, operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to three million homes and businesses over 100,000 miles of distribution and 14,000 miles of transmission lines.