Nationally recognized energy industry research expert Kenneth Rose, Ph.D., will kick off Chartwell’s Advanced Metering Summit 2006 May 16 and 17, tackling the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and its potential effect on time-based rates and advanced metering.

Rose, an independent consultant and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University, recently co-authored a reference manual for the nation's major industry associations that will be used by state commissions and utilities when they consider the federal standards that are part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. President Bush signed the legislation into law in August 2005.

Specifically, the manual addresses certain implementation issues, such as advanced metering and communications technology. The manual was sponsored by the American Public Power Association (APPA), the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

Rose will address the legislation through his extensive knowledge of the subject based on his research, and will serve on a panel of experts to answer specific attendee questions about the legislation.

The Summit will also feature presentations by Ivo Steklac, president and founder of Enspiria Solutions Inc., a information technology (IT) services company, who will discuss getting the most out of automated meter reading (AMR) technology, going beyond the meter read; and case study presentations on meter data management (MDM) from Bruce Carpenter, general manager for revenue operations at Portland General Electric (PGE), and Mahiuddin Laskar, MDM project manager at JEA (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Chartwell’s Advanced Metering Summit 2006 will bring together utility thought-leaders to share expertise and experience that will help your utility optimize its metering investments. The Summit will feature a host of networking events from roundtable and panel discussions to case studies, as well as a featured first-hand look at the two-way advanced metering network recently implemented by LCEC, one of the nation's premier electric cooperatives.

Utility attendees will discuss hot topics related to metering including:

• The future of advanced metering;
• The many benefits of advanced metering systems;
• Demand response;
• Broadband over power lines (BPL) technology;
• Meter data management; and
• The impact of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 on advanced metering and energy pricing.

For more information, please visit the Summit Web site at www.chartwellinc.com/CAMS.cfm, or call (404) 237-9099. Limited sponsorship opportunities are available for industry vendors. Please contact Bill Grist, (404) 237-9099 or bgrist@chartwellinc.com for more information.