Duke Energy, the third-largest electric power holding company in the United States, and Convergys Corporation, a leader in relationship management including customer care and billing services, have forged an agreement to provide services to support the rapid advancement of smart grid technology.

Conversys will supply Duke with next generation billing and customer management systems for smart grid technology as well as improving the customer service experience for utility customers.

The collaboration will develop a smart grid technology for approximately four million electric and gas customers in five states through Convergys’ (News - Alert) various systems including rating and billing, customer management and collections modules as part of a highly scalable, real time Smart Customer Information System (CIS) solution. 

The aforementioned models are designed by Convergys to meet the needs and industry standards of smart grid energy providers and their customers.

With Duke’s recent smart grid initiatives seeking stimulus funding approval, the company is incorporating automated equipment, wireless sensing devices and advanced meters to create a digital, real-time, networked power delivery system that provides two-way communication between Duke and its customers.
 

Bob Lento, president of Information Management for Convergys, said that, since existing legacy technologies were not designed to support a real time network such as the smart grid, Convergys has a strong history of experience in assisting service providers in optimizing operations and customer service though real time networks, convergence of services and sale.

Lento said that there is a perfect storm in the utility industry that requires a significant shift in the way utility companies operate. 

“Utility companies are seeing rising energy costs, the advancement of smart grid information technology and heightened consumer energy consciousness, all driving the need for change,” said Lento. 

The combined smart grid plan will put utility requirements and decisions in the hands of customers, allowing them to choose the wisest energy decisions. 

Duke’s selection of Convergys Smart CIS Solution will enable the company to tackle challenge and balance additional opportunities by showcasing the products offered in a quicker, more accessible data format, helping customers manage and reduce energy savings while simultaneously increasing the reliability of smart grids.

“Duke Energy’s use of our Convergys Smart CIS Solution will enable Duke Energy to empower its customers to make smart decisions about controlling their personal energy usage,” Lento said.  “In addition, the Convergys Smart CIS Solution will help Duke Energy reduce the technology and investment risk traditionally associated with this kind of paradigm-shifting effort.”

Todd Arnold, senior vice president for Duke’s smart grid and customer systems department, said that the companies’ smart grid technologies will reduce costs, maximize energy efficiency and empower customers to take their own reigns in making energy usage decisions. 

However, with the advancement in smart grid comes the need for a different company-wide solution to meet the necessary scale and two-way transaction requirements. 

“With the Convergys Smart CIS Solution – purpose-built to accommodate smart grid requirements – we are helping Duke Energy transform its business model to better reflect its customers’ expectations for instant information, a higher degree of energy efficiency, and improved energy management,” Lento said.

“Convergys’ innovative Smart CIS Solution will meet that need providing Duke Energy with a rapidly deployable solution that modernizes our systems to support the new requirements,” Arnold said.

And, based on how Duke implements the solution, this will have minimal impact on the company’s legacy CIS infrastructure. 

“The Convergys Smart CIS Solution will help reduce the technology and investment risk traditionally associated with this kind of paradigm-shifting effort,” Arnold said.

With the recent controversy on the future of electrical grids, it seems as if Duke and Convergys are taking an extra step in advancing their smart grid initiatives. 

Duke Energy and Convergys have taken an important step to help move the U.S. toward the new smart grid model of efficient power distribution, consumption, measurement and management.