Glendale, Calif., September 19, 2011 — Glendale Water & Power installed its final smart meter on the campus of Glendale Community College.

This final installation event marks a historic event for the utility that was among the first in many things including the first in the nation to sign the Department of Energy's American Reinvestment Recovery Act grant to receive $20 million for their project.

The final smart meter was installed by a recent Verdugo Power Academy graduate, Stephen Kim, who now works for GWP's meter section. Mayor Laura Friedman, college president Dawn Lindsay and Glendale College Board of Trustees President Anita Gabrelian and GWP General Manager Glenn Steiger made speeches congratulation the utility on its success of this project and the long-standing partnership the college and the utility have.

The Verdugo Power Academy, a successful partnership between The Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, Glendale Community College, and GWP has also received grant funding from ARRA. The partners developed a curriculum to train unemployed and displaced workers to gain valuable skills to qualify in an entry-level craft position for the electric utility.

A total of 120,000 smart meters have been installed throughout Glendale. These meters are already wirelessly communicating with the utility. GWP's next step is to show the benefits of this technology to its residents. GWP will partner with CEIVA in Burbank to pilot a program that shows customer's usage on a digital frame.

Not only can customers upload their personal pictures onto this frame, mixed in with their private pictures are "channels" that GWP shares that will show customers exactly how much water and power is being used in the home. The frames are interactive and will assist customers in making smarter choices about their energy and water usage.