Oct. 28--LEESBURG -- City officials were elated to learn Tuesday that the city has won a $9.7 million federal matching grant to install "smart meters" to help electric-utility customers keep better tabs of the electrical usage and cut power bills.

Elsewhere in Central Florida, Intellon Corporation of Orlando won a $4.95 million grant to modify power-line communications to "enhance smart-grid functionality."

In all, 100 grants across the country and only eight in Florida were chosen for $3.4 billion in federal stimulus money targeting smart grid energy projects.

"With the award of this grant, Leesburg just took a giant leap into the 21st Century," Leesburg City Manager Jay Evans said in a prepared statement. "Nothing else that we do will have such potential to lower the energy bills of our customers."

Leesburg will use the money to provide about 23,000 customers with high-tech electric meters that will help residents and businesses closely monitor their electricity usage.

"This is not about the city or its utility -- it's all about helping our customers," said city electric director Paul Kalv.

President Barack Obama announced the grants today as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act aimed at overhauling the nation's aging electric grid.

Leesburg's was one of 431 applications from utilities across the U.S. that sought federal assistance.

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