Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Location

Chicago, Illinois

Organization(s)

National Center for Medical Legal Partnership at Boston Medical Center, Citizens Utility Board

The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) at Boston Medical Center plans to produce a unique HIA of a pilot program run by Illinois' largest electric utility, Commonwealth Edison. The project will assess the potential health effects of implementing "smart metering" technology in western metropolitan Chicago. Health effects that are likely to be addressed include how these innovations could alter the risk of potentially life-threatening exposure to heat or cold if the new system allows customers' power to be automatically disconnected. The HIA will also look at the impact of energy prices on vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and low-income or disabled persons. The findings, expected in mid-2011, will become a model for understanding the potential impacts of more widespread implementation of the technology. NCMLP and the Chicago nonprofit, Citizens Utility Board, will collaborate on the HIA, disseminate the findings and make recommendations to the Illinois Commerce Commission, the regulatory body monitoring the pilot program.