SSMMA tours ComEd/Silver Spring smart grid facility

ComEd External Affairs Manager Bonita Parker and SSMMA Executive Director Edward Paesel prepare to board a bus with association members in East Hazel Crest to the ComEd/Silver Spring smart grid facility at Willis Tower in downtown Chicago.

The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association boarded a bus on the morning of Oct. 27, 2015 for a briefing and tour of the ComEd and Silver Springs smart grid facility located in downtown Chicago at the Willis Tower.

Silver Spring and ComEd partnered on the smart grid element of ComEd’s 10-year, $2.6 billion infrastructure investment plan to strengthen the Illinois electric system.  Silver Spring’s standards-based networking platform and smart grid applications will connect four million homes and businesses over the next 10 years across ComEd’s service territory and will help unlock significant operational and consumer benefits including improved outage management, increased energy efficiency, improved grid .

The new smart grid is expected to substantially increase economic opportunity in metropolitan Chicago by adding manufacturing and professional jobs, opening new offices and facilities, and helping residents conserve electricity and save money. A modern, high-tech electric infrastructure is essential for the region’s global economic competitiveness.

Smart meters are building blocks of the smart grid and will be installed in all homes and businesses across northern Illinois. With a smart meter, you can see how much energy you use so you can make changes to save money on your electric bills. Click here for a map to see if Smart Meter installation has been completed in your community. More photos are here.