The largest electric companies in Texas have launched the most aggressive Advanced Metering System (AMS) deployment in the US. The Smart Meter Texas Portal initiative is a several-year collaboration to properly integrate these meters into the ERCOT market.

As part of that initiative, the Texas electric companies have created a portal for customers to better understand their usage patterns and potentially decrease their electricity consumption and costs. Discovery Across Texas is extending the portal's capabilities to provide valuable insight into:

• Large-scale residential load control techniques;
• The viability of expanding the ancillary service market in ERCOT;
• Peak shaving effects resulting from residential energy efficiency initiatives and
• Consumer perceptions and opinions about smart meters and alterative pricing strategies.