Nexant starts testing new efficiency management system

California-based smart-grid company Nexant has begun testing a new energy efficiency system it is developing for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal agency that markets hydropower in the northwest US.

The Energy Efficiency Central (EE Central) system is designed to replace BPA’s existing Planning, Tracking & Reporting (PTR) system, which is currently used by more than 140 Pacific Northwest utilities and stakeholders to manage and report on their energy conservation and renewable resource activities.

“The system will help us as we work with our customers to meet aggressive energy efficiency targets included in the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Sixth Power Plan,” said Mike Weedall, vice president of BPA Energy Efficiency.

The EE Central system features an extensive common energy-efficiency measures library, advanced process flow management, document management and user dashboards, as well as the ability for real-time integration with external tools such as savings calculators.

BPA and Nexant expect to go live with the core version of EE Central by October 1, said Terry Fry, senior vice president of demand management for Nexant. Additional features will be set to come online shortly afterward to provide utility users with even more efficiency-focused applications, he said.

Nexant’s software and consulting services target utility companies, power producers and energy retailers looking to deploy new smart-grid technologies and applications. Its clients include major utilities, transmission and distribution system operators, chemical and petroleum majors, financial institutions, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.