The estimated $35-million smart-grid project is expected to include the installation of more than 100,000 “smart” electric and water meters with the ability to track real-time usage and allow for two-way communication with the utility.
Monte Iskandaryan and Aren Sukiasyan, of Keppel Elementary School, were chosen as part of a team of students to receive a primer on alternate forms of energy and to act as ambassadors to the community on a green allowance initiative. The utility was the first in the nation to launch the countywide energy conservation program for children, officials said.
Students such as Monte and Aren make a deal with their parents, complete energy-saving actions and receive an allowance when their parents cut down on their utility bills. For example, changing one incandescent bulb to a compact florescent saves $5 and 0.2 trees per year.
“Save the planet, get paid,” Aren said.
Families shuffled among line trucks and equipment between guided tours of the Howard Substation, solar-powered exhibits and the “Singing Green” children’s show.
Mary Landau demonstrated two sun ovens, which used reflectors to heat kettles of chili and corn bread well beyond 250 degrees, while Armen Grigorian provided an overview of the utility’s free in-home water- and energy-saving survey, which provides residents up to $50 worth of complimentary conservation devices.
Parents Mike and Trish Allen beamed as their 3- and 6-year-old daughters learned how to make a can move without touching it and make a motor with a coil.
“If they’re not, they certainly look like they’re having fun,” Mike Allen said.
Glendale’s interest in a publicly owned “light and power system” stretches back to the city’s earliest years.
