North Carolina Electric Meter School and Grid Technology Conference
This 100+ year program demonstrates how professions change over time, and the important role continuing education plays in keeping workers successfully trained and current with the latest trends
The NC Electric Meter School has the distinction of spanning the full 100 years of the division and even predates the division by a year. In March 1923, the first Electric Meter Course was offered by what was then called State College’s Electrical Department, and enrollment exceeded expectations.
When the second school was offered in March 1924, the Technician described its purpose: “The course will consist of lectures on the principles of meters, the installation, care, testing and adjusting of meters of all types, round-table discussion on metering problems and difficulties, and daily practice with meters.” By 1925, the College Extension Division was given the responsibility for this short course, with electric engineering faculty continuing to design the curriculum.
The school had its start just two decades after many of the issues related to commercial electricity had begun to be solved. By the 1890s, commercially manufactured watthour meters were being produced, the debate about AC vs. DC current had been resolved, and the General Electric Company had been founded. It was only in 1910 that standards had been agreed upon, which resulted in “The Electric Meterman’s Handbook.” Different companies producing different types of meters — and making frequent changes and improvements — would continue to present day.
The third Electrical Meterman’s School was held in April 1925. Electric Engineering faculty, meter superintendents, and representatives from meter manufacturing companies taught the curriculum. The course was offered free of charge, board cost 25 cents per meal, and lodging in private homes or hotels ranged from $1.50 to $10 per week.
Each attendee was instructed to bring “his Rotating Standard, his Load Box, and his Meterman’s Handbook.” Professor William Hand Browne, Jr., director of instruction and head of the Electric Engineering Department, submitted a positive and detailed report on the school to President E.C. Brooks. There were 25 instructors and 58 attendees who came from North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Browne also stated that money should be allocated so the College Extension Division could better coordinate the school.
In 1926, Edward Ruggles joined the Electrical Engineering faculty and became one of the instructors for the Meter School. Ruggles would later lead the College Extension Division from 1934-1965. Program brochures from the late 1920s and early 1930s indicate that the program directors were trying to find the right balance to meet the needs of new and experienced attendees, which can be a challenge in many continuing education programs.
In 1929, the school offered two tracks, the first focusing on elementary concepts and the second on more complicated “polyphase problems.” The program was described as a two-year school, in which elementary students would return the next year for the second track. By 1931, the marketing brochure noted that fewer topics would be offered but receive more in-depth coverage, and the two tracks remained. Today, as the field has become more complex, seven tracks are available for participants.
The 1931 notice stated: “At the close of the school a report will be sent to all superintendents of the attendance and the character of the work done by their men.” Already the need to document continuing education credit had arisen. Today, professional engineers attending the school can receive 18 Professional Development Hours approved by North Carolina Professional Engineers and Registered Land Surveyors.
During the early days of the school, much of rural North Carolina lacked electricity. With federal money for rural electrification becoming available in 1935, that began to change. In 1940 about 24% of North Carolina farms had electricity, and by the mid-1950s that number had risen to 95%. The 1947 Meterman brochure noted that since “the electric utilities have employed many new men in recent months, special emphasis has been placed on the elementary section.”
At some point between 1932 and 1947, there was a lapse of seven years — the archival record is unclear exactly when — but the school has been held annually since then. The school was held in Raleigh until 1949 when it relocated to Morehead City, where the division’s Morehead City Technical Institute was located. The 1950 brochure described the school as “an endeavor to get the personnel of the Electrical Utility Meter Departments together to discuss their common problems and to acquaint them with new and standard practices.” In 1964, the school moved to Wilmington College, now UNC-Wilmington, and then in the 1970s, moved to the Wilmington Hilton. In 2001, the location moved to Sunset Beach and today the school is held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The 92nd annual North Carolina Electric Meter School and Grid Technology Conference will run for five days in June. In recent years, the program has drawn participants from approximately 30 states, and enrollment tops 600 each year. Women attend the school today, although men still comprise a majority of workers in this field. This 100+ year program demonstrates how professions change over time, and the role continuing education plays in keeping workers successfully trained and current with the latest trends.
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