On August 31st, Benson received an Innovation in Technology award from the NC Innovation Center at the Government Technology Magazine annual conference in Raleigh.
The award was given in recognition of the significant upgrades that Benson has made to our electric grid, particularly with the use of Smart Meter technology. Benson was one of five municipalities to receive an innovation award for North Carolina. The other award winners were Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh.
The recipients of the Innovation in Technology award were government organizations that have been innovative in their deployment of technology to improve quality of life, and customer service for the public. Among other things, the Town of Benson has converted its electric and water meters to a two-way Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Smart Grid system that tracks better utility data, helps to decrease water leaks and enables town staff to restore power faster amid outages.
“We’d like to congratulate Benson for serving as a great example of how local government and technology can intersect to improve service to citizens,” said Ben Brown of the NC League of Municipalities. “Innovation is happening in municipalities across the state, and we’re excited to see not only where it goes but how we can learn from each other to advance public service all the more.”
