Related Articles
-Editorial
At their September 17 meeting, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Board of Directors addressed the challenges of energy consumption from surveillance cameras and wireless internet devices installed on city-owned street lighting poles in Imperial.
The IID was notified by the City of Imperial regarding the installation of surveillance cameras and wireless internet devices on city-owned street lighting poles. These devices, which are attached to street lights and consume energy, currently fall outside of IID’s existing billing framework, as there is no specific rate schedule for such unmetered consumption.
These wireless devices, including security cameras, wireless internet transmitters, and telecommunication units, consume energy ranging from 20 to 45 watts per device. The City of Imperial has attached 29 smart boxes containing these devices to their street lights, and similar installations may expand across the region as wireless technology continues to integrate into urban infrastructure.
IID manages approximately 15,700 street and area lights within its service area. However, it is notable that around 10,000 of these lights are customer-owned, with only a small portion being IID-owned.
The street and area lighting in IID’s service area consists of 60% customer-owned lights that are maintained by IID, while 36% of the lights are IID-owned. Additionally, 1% of the street lights are customer-owned but not maintained by IID.
This significant presence of customer-owned infrastructure complicates how energy consumption is tracked and billed. Traditionally, street lighting has been a relatively straightforward component of energy distribution, but the emergence of wireless technology attached to these poles introduces a new layer of complexity in terms of energy usage and cost allocation.
These unmetered devices are currently energized through direct connections to the street lighting system, but because they do not have individual meters, the exact energy consumption is difficult to quantify on a device-by-device basis. As of now, IID lacks a specific billing rate schedule to cover the energy costs associated with these wireless technology attachments.
Recognizing this gap, IID has been working with NewGen Strategies & Solutions, LLC, to address the issue. Together, they have developed a proposed rate schedule designed to account for the energy consumption of wireless attachments, including surveillance cameras and wireless internet devices. The new rate schedule aims to charge for the unmetered energy consumption, which could range anywhere from 20 to 45 watts per device. The purpose of the rate is to ensure that the district recovers the cost of the energy being consumed by these attachments while providing a fair and transparent billing method for municipal customers like the City of Imperial.
The proposed rate schedule would apply to any wireless technology attachments connected to IID-managed or customer-owned street lights within the district’s service area.
The wireless technology devices attached to city street lights fall into three main categories: security cameras, wireless internet devices, and telecommunication equipment. Each of these devices contributes to energy consumption, which IID is working to account for in its proposed rate schedule.
With the rapid growth of smart city technology and wireless infrastructure, more municipalities may begin attaching similar devices to their lighting infrastructure. The goal of the new rate schedule is to create a standardized billing practice that can be applied to any future installations.
The IID board of directors is expected to review the proposed wireless technology attachment rate schedule at its upcoming meeting on October 1st, 2024. During this meeting, IID staff will formally request approval of the rate schedule and seek adoption of the resolution needed to implement the new rates.
The introduction of this new rate schedule represents a step by IID to address emerging trends in urban infrastructure. With the increasing use of smart technology in cities like Imperial, it is essential to have clear guidelines in place to manage energy consumption and ensure that costs are fairly distributed.
If approved, the new rate schedule will likely serve as a model for other municipalities within IID’s service area as they explore options for integrating wireless technology into public infrastructure.
