Power Smart Pricing

Top 5 - Top Energy Sustainability Blog Posts

2011-12-28T16:12:00.002-06:00

At this time of year blogs from around the Internet join in the holiday tradition of recapping the year that was in lists. So what better way to join than to appreciate the top 5 "Top list" blog posts of the year.

1. GigaOM’s top 10 green stories of 2011

2. Smart grid winners, losers (and fence-sitters) 2011

3. Top 5 Smart Grid Trends of 2011

4. Home Energy Management: 8 Big Trends in 2011

5. The Top 5 Smart Grid Disappointments of 2011

So now you have plenty to read so enjoy one of the Top 5 times of the year. Happy holidays!

How to Compare Savings with Power Smart Pricing

2011-11-21T10:07:00.001-06:00

This year you may have noticed other companies offering discounted electricity supply rates in your area. These companies are referred to as Retail Electric Suppliers. Retail Electric Suppliers are companies that have received approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission to offer an alternative competitive price for the electricity supply that you use. Their offers cover the supply portion of your bill, but like Power Smart Pricing, do not change the delivery services portion of your bill. As a Power Smart Pricing customer, you need to be aware of the following in order to make an informed decision when considering switching to a Retail Electricity Supplier:

If you sign up for a Retail Electric Supplier, you will be removed from Power Smart Pricing. At this time, you cannot enroll in both.

Savings messages provided by Retail Electric Suppliers are not estimates of savings compared with the prices you pay with Power Smart Pricing. They usually reference how much you might save compared with the Ameren Illinois standard BGS residential rate. For more information about electricity supply prices with Power Smart Pricing and the BGS residential rate, go to www.powersmartpricing.org/about-hourly-prices/.

Savings messages in offers from Retail Electric Suppliers usually refer to the electricity supply portion of the bill only. To make an “apples-to-apples” comparison of these offers with the savings you are getting with Power Smart Pricing, log in to the online bill comparison tool at www.powersmartpricing.org and look at your percent saved on the electricity supply portion of your bill only, or your total dollar amount saved. Since 2007, Power Smart Pricing participants have saved an average of 25 percent on electricity supply costs compared with the Ameren Illinois standard BGS rate.

If you switch to a Retail Electric Supplier, you can switch back to Power Smart Pricing once you switch back to utility supply service.

If you have questions about Power Smart Pricing as it relates to your electric supply options, contact us at info@powersmartpricing.org or 1-877-655-6028. More information is also available from the Illinois Commerce Commission (pluginillinois.org or 1-800-524-0795) and from the Citizen’s Utility Board (citizensutilityboard.org or 1-800-669-5556).

Follow @PowerSmart on Twitter for Prices

2011-07-20T10:30:00.006-05:00

Remember you can follow @PowerSmart on Twitter to receive a Daily Price Report that has the highest and lowest prices for the following day.

On days that have a high price alert there is a special message.

If you are an avid twitter user, and you are interested in getting the prices sent to you, follow @PowerSmart.

Power Hungry Set Top Boxes to be Regulated?

2011-07-05T12:03:00.002-05:00

The Energy Department is considering to place new restrictions on the energy consumption of set top cable boxes and digital recorders. This would be similar to regulations that dramatically improved the efficiency of refrigerators. The announcement comes after the National Resource Defense Council published a new study of the usage of set top boxes. Their results are fairly staggering, and it shows how targeting set top boxes can make a big impact to both our energy costs and the environment.

Like a refrigerator, the television set top box is generally running at full power 24 hours a day. When the television is off and nothing is recording, these devices will still operate at a similar energy demand. Two-thirds of their demand for power comes when the consumer is not using the device. Since the companies who are supplying these boxes do not pay for the electricity, there is little incentive for them to invest in changing their products.

According to the NRDC study:

In 2010, set-top boxes in the United States consumed approximately 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is equivalent to the annual output of nine average (500 MW) coal-fired power plants. The electricity required to operate all U.S. boxes is equal to the annual household electricity consumption of the entire state of Maryland, results in 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and costs households more than $3 billion each year.

The NRDC study has also proposed some solutions and picked out the worst types of set top boxes. In some cases they have a greater energy demand than a new energy efficient refrigerators and 42" LCD HDTVs.

Check out the very informative, 5-page study here: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/settopboxes.pdf

PSP Customers Have Saved $4 Million in Bill Savings

2011-06-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

The Power Smart Pricing program surpassed a major milestone last week when its cumulative bill savings for the roughly 12,000 customers reached over $4 Million. This is great news for our participants but its also great news for all those communities. PSP households have some extra cash on hand for those more important things in life like education, health care or the simple things like an extra topping on that large pizza.

Great job everyone!!

High Price Alerts (6/7-6/8)

2011-06-09T11:31:00.002-05:00

We had our first high price alerts with the new price threshold over the past couple days as temperatures reached well into the 90s. Three straight days of high temperatures in the middle of the week is a recipe for high prices. Prices topped out at 10 cents per kWh from 1pm-5pm on 6/8. This is just about the highest price we saw in 2010.

Don't forget about pre-cooling! The best way to shift your usage away from high prices. http://www.powersmartpricing.org/tools/summer-tips/precooling-your-home/

Unfortunately we had some technical glitches with our email alert system and some of the alerts were delayed. We apologize for the inconvenience. We are working with our technical provider to ensure that this will not happen again.

The website also reached highs in web traffic. Tuesday June 7th, and Wednesday June 8th, had the highest visits to the PSP website ever. Clearly our participants were reacting to the high temperatures and prices to seek our more information. The behavior of how customers react to high prices is a key topic of conversation to the ICC and other public utility commissions around the country as they are trying to determine the value and benefit of dynamic pricing programs. PSP customers are cutting edge, smart and proving again and again that dynamic pricing "works."

It looks like some cooler weather is moving in and the prices have dropped a little as well. Look for even lower prices tomorrow and through the weekend.

New Ameren IL Flat Rate Prices

2011-06-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

Ameren Illinois has finished its rate filing for its flat rate prices. The new energy supply prices DO NOT affect the prices for Power Smart Pricing. Prices went up in all rate classes by about a tenth of a cent per kWh. Below is the table of the new prices.

All prices are in cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
Ameren Standard Rates (effective 6/1/11)

	Rate Zone III (AmerenIP)	Rate Zone II (AmerenCILCO)	Rate Zone I (AmerenCIPS)
Summer (June, July, August, and September)	5.011	5.019	5.045
Non-Summer, usage 0 - 800 kWh	5.733	6.020	6.057*
Non-Summer, over 800 kWh Non-Space Heat	5.733	3.852	6.057*
Non-Summer, over 800 kWh Space Heat**	1.881	N/A	3.434*

*Former AmerenUE customers now served by Rate Zone I (formerly AmerenCIPS) in the Metro East: 0-800 kWh non-summer is 6.057¢/kWh and over 800 kWh non-summer is 2.024¢/kWh, regardless of heating type.

** Applies only to existing premises served under Rate Zone I (formerly AmerenCIPS) Rider 5 or Rate Zone III's (formerly AmerenIP) space heat provision under SC2 as of 1/1/07. The Space Heat category is not available for new electric heat installations.

HPA Test Today (5/26)

2011-05-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

Be on the look out for a test High Price Alert today. We are sending out a test to make sure the system is working properly ahead of the coming high prices this summer (if summer ever comes...). The TEST will be for participants by either telephone or email. In the event that a high price triggers a High Price Alert this summer you will be notified the evening before day that has the high priced hour(s). Please keep in mind that we have changed our high price alert threshold from 13 cents to 9 cents.

If you would to change the way you receive your high price alert or the contact number/email, please call us at 1-888-655-6028 or email us at info@powersmartpricing.org to request a change.

Below is an EXAMPLE of what a high price alert email looks like:

---

This is a High Price Alert from Power Smart Pricing.

Friday, May 27th, hourly prices are at or above 9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) as shown in the list below:

Time Price (cents/kWh)

3:00-4:00 PM 9.3

To manage your costs with Power Smart Pricing, please make an extra effort to conserve electricity during these hours. To view the complete day-ahead price information, go to www.powersmartpricing.org.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail us at info@powersmartpricing.org or call (877) 655-6028.

Thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

The Power Smart Pricing Team

New Latest and Greatest in LEDs

2011-05-20T11:53:00.001-05:00

Phillips has launched a new LED bulb to serve as a replacement for a traditional 75-watt incandescent bulb, but it comes in at an energy demand of just 17-watts. However, like all things LED, this bulb will still cost you a fortune (in terms of lightbulbs) at somewhere between $40 and $45. It's hard to imagine many people running out to Home Depot to pick one up.

What's hard to imagine is that $40 is actually quite the bargain.

It can actually save significant money on energy costs. Philips says because its new bulb lasts 25 times longer than an incandescent, and reduces energy consumption by 80 percent, the owner will save $160 per bulb over the 25,000 hours (about 17 years) of the life of its new 17-watt LED bulb.

For more information check out the Earth2Tech post here.

RSVP to Summer Workshops Online

2011-04-20T10:16:00.002-05:00

Get ready to save on summer energy bills

You are invited to attend a workshop and get the information you need to keep summer energy bills under control.

Get tips on managing your summer electricity usage and costs with the Power Smart Pricing program.
Discover no-cost and low-cost ways to save energy.
Learn which energy-saving home improvements could offer the best return on your investment.
Find out about programs that could help cover the cost of energy-saving home improvements.
Get advice on how you can protect the environment by using energy efficiently.

Workshops are free of charge and refreshments will be provided.

2011 Workshop Schedule:

May 9, 6:30 p.m., Bloomington Public Library, 205 E. Olive St., Bloomington, IL
May 9, 6:30 p.m., Southern Illinois University, Student Center, Illinois Room,1255 Lincoln Dr., Carbondale, IL
May 10, 6:30 p.m., Southwestern Illinois College, Liberal Arts Building, Room 2120, 2500 Carlyle Ave., Belleville, IL
May 10, 6:30 p.m., Peoria Public Library, Lake View Branch, 1137 W. Lake Ave., Peoria, IL
May 11, 6:30 p.m., Collinsville Public Library, 408 W. Main St., Collinsville, IL
May 11, 6:30 p.m., Galesburg Public Library, 40 E. Simmons St., Galesburg, IL
May 17, 6:30 p.m., Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur, IL
May 18, 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave., Jacksonville, IL
May 19, 6:00 p.m., Litchfield Carnegie Library, 400 N. State St., Litchfield, IL
May 23, 6:30 p.m., Mattoon Public Library, 1600 Charleston Ave., Mattoon, IL
May 24, 7 p.m., Champaign Library, 200 W. Green St., Champaign, IL
May 25, 6:30 p.m., Danville Library, 319 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL

RSVP to 1-877-655-6028 or info@powersmartpricing.org or sign up online at www.powersmartpricing.org/rsvp2011/.

Great Post from PSP Participant

2011-04-08T12:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a quick link to a post by one of our participants on their own blog. It features a ton of really good information on energy savings tips and how to succeed on hourly pricing. Great stuff!

Although one tip on reducing vampire power around your tv is plug everything into a power strip except for the cable box. That way when you shut everything down for the night you won't lose all your channels. It's definitely more trouble than it's worth, but this you can still get some of the savings without the hassle.

http://midwestgreen.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/saving-money-on-electricity/

Industry Wondering If Customers Will Like Dynamic Pricing

2011-03-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

Power Smart Pricing has been around since January 2007 and has accumulated over 11,000 customers. Year after year our participants have told us they find the program to be "quick and easy." Our high satisfaction rates should give confidence to other utilities to offer a similar program. However, throughout the country there is a large discrepancy in what industry leaders are saying about these types of programs.

A recent online panel discussion, hosted by Restructuring Today, highlighted the differences of opinion. While all the speakers agreed there was great potential in dynamic pricing, some felt that it was best to wait for "enabling technologies" to catch up and make it easier and more automated. Power Smart Pricing has enhanced its offering of online technologies to create easier access to prices, however the fundamental way of saving money on the program still rests in the hands of the participants (99% of which are saving money).

So the bottom line is that customers already love dynamic pricing. The need is to get it out to more customers and trust the existing programs that have shown great results.

For more coverage >> Why Consumers Will Love Dynamic Pricing - Katherine Tweed, GreenTechMedia

Refreshed Ameren ActOnEnergy.com

2011-01-24T14:48:00.000-06:00

If you haven't been to Ameren Illinois' Act On Energy website now is as good a time as ever. They recently refreshed the site. It's easy to navigate and has a ton of great resources to get rebates and bill credits for participating in one of Ameren's energy efficiency programs. Check out this list below:

Get discounts on lighting

Save on ENERGY STAR products

Earn a rebate for your spare fridge

Cash in on HVAC incentives

Build and ENERGY STAR home

Improve home energy performance

If you're interested in learning more, go to ActOnEnergy.com to get all the details.

PSP Gets National Attention

2011-01-18T11:54:00.000-06:00

We were at the Midwest Energy Solutions Conference talking about the great success our customers have had with Power Smart Pricing and the story got picked up by the national issues blog, Grist.

Overall, they did a good job of capturing the benefits of the program. The article was mostly focused on the amount PSP customers tend to lower their overall usage without mentioning the total the bill savings. Citing the "conservation effect" of using Day-Ahead hourly pricing is great, but it's even better when considering that those customers are saving an additional 16% (on average) on their bills.

The real moral of the story is that our customers are great. They are pioneers and truly leading a national effort for the availability of this kind of program for more and more utility customers. Well done!

Check out the story here:
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-01-14-whats-the-real-potential-for-behavior-change-programs

How to Get PSP on Your Phone

2011-01-04T17:07:00.003-06:00

The PSP Blog has covered this a couple times in the past, but there have been some important updates as well as a bunch of requests on our customer survey for more access to prices through smartphone apps and text message.

Through Twitter.com
Twitter is a web service that allows users with an account to "tweet" messages of up to 140 characters. We have set up a program that automatically tweets the highest and lowest priced hours with their respective prices for the next day. This is a quick way to see what the prices will be like and which hours are best to avoid.

To get these messages on your phone you will have to sign up for a free Twitter account and set your preferences to receive our tweets through text messages (SMS) on your cellular phone. You will be able to get High Price Alerts and the Daily Price Report directly to your phone. If you have any questions on how to set this up please call us at 1-877-655-6028. (standard text message rates apply)

Through a Smartphone App
The Power Stoplight shows the current price of electricity as well as the upcoming hours. It also incorporates the very glanceable feature of a stop light that changes color based on the price. This program lets you check the prices at any time any where. It is a great tool and best of all, it's free. You can find the application in the Apple iTunes store for the iPhone or the Android Market for an Android powered phone. The Power Stoplight is also in development and available for testing on your Blackberry. To learn more, go to http://www.powerstoplight.com/

Why You Didn't Get a High Price Alert this Year

2010-12-14T14:11:00.000-06:00

One of the most common questions and complaints we received on our customer survey was about not receiving a high price alert. For example:

I have not received any notices of high prices so I'm not sure how I am suppose to know when prices are high besides knowing that the afternoons are expensive.

The short answer about why you did not receive a high price alert is that there wasn't any. We set our high price alert at 13 cents and there was not an hour that reached this price in 2010. We didn't have any in 2009, either. However, in 2008 there were 122 hours over 13 cents spread across 28 days. In our materials, we made a conscious effort to put more emphasis on the fact that the highest price of each individual summer day will occur somewhere between 2pm and 5pm. We felt this was the best way to help people save because most days will not have a High Price Alert, but it still important to shift your usage away from those weekday afternoon hours. However, since we have not had a High Price Alert over the past two summers we are considering the following changes:

1. Lowering the High Price Alert trigger
2. Giving customers the option to set their own price
3. Sending out Test Alerts to reassure customers that their contact information is correct and that if there is an alert they will receive it.

We are seriously looking into lowering the trigger. In the past, we have been afraid that if they happened too often, people would begin to tune them out. Or, they would think that prices must be so high that they couldn't possibly be saving with the program. Since it has been two consecutive summers of low prices, we think that there is a better solution to what we have now without running into these potential issues.

Right now our current system is not too flexible for having different customers being notified with different price points. It just wasn't designed that way. However, since we have received a considerable desire from customers for this option, we are researching this possibility. We will have more on this as we get a better idea of how we could make it work.

We will be sending a Test Alert this year around the 1st of June. This was a serious oversight on our part last summer and we apologizing for creating some confusion when there didn't have to be. It will help us and our customers be assured that if an alert would go out that they have received it correctly.

This, of course, is all a work in progress. We are looking to continually improve the customer experience. Keep an eye on on the blog for me ways we're gonna make 2011 the best year for Power Smart Pricing. Thanks again, for all your input.

Congratulations to our Survey Winners!!

2010-12-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

We have randomly selected the two winners of our survey response drawing to win the $100 prize. Hopefully your holidays will be a little brighter this coming season. Congratulations:

Kelly Taylor of Forsyth, IL - participant since May 2008. She has saved 19% off her bills for a total of $570.

Michael Kingery of Henry, IL - participant since November 2008. He has saved 35% off his bills for a total of $580.

Congratulations on saving another $100!

To all responders, we apologize for the late arrival of your 2010 Customer Survey. All surveys postmarked by November 15th were considered in the drawing of two $100 prizes. Thank you for your ongoing participation in the Power Smart Pricing program.

Some Customer Survey Responses

2010-12-07T16:49:00.000-06:00

One of the questions on our customer survey asked "How could Power Smart Pricing be improved to make it work better for you?" We received about 1500 responses to this question, and the PSP blog felt that it was important to anonymously highlight some of the types of comments we received.

The Good
"It sure seems to work really well for me and i have suggested many others look into the service also as I feel that by saving 27% last year with PSP I did pretty darn well!! Thanks for offering me the opportunity to use PSP. Hopefully many others will also join the bandwagon. My son just signed up for the program after my rave reviews. I told him to use it as suggested and it will save him some of his hard earned money to be used somewhere else."

"It is just such an incredible program. Such an environmentally-responsible option that gives the customer control and makes us think about our energy use. We could not be happier with this program and how it is administered and how much money we have saved."

"I really don't use the computer to check my pricing. I don't have my computer on most of the time. If I'm not using it, I turn it off. Doesn't that save energy? I post the little grid that you mail to remind me of the high price times. I like things that are simple and not very high tech."

Great Suggestions
"Let me set the trigger for price alerts and change it via the web."

"A consumer blog where we can hear others ideas for saving on electricity." (working on it...)

"Have a plug in device that would show the hourly rate at a glance. It would alert you when the hourly rate is higher than the non- power smart rate."

Things For us to Work On
"Being able to check usage on-line and recieve a useage graph by mail each month, instead of having to choose one or the other."

"Daily email updates with hourly pricing."

"Easy access to pricing trends at the thermostat."

Why We're Passionate About This Program
"i realy don't know right now, i am just thrilled that my bill is smaller. in todays economy it is becoming impossible to live alone if you are making 12dollars to 14 dollars and hr.. your utilities and housing takes up over half of your income. with that we are always needing ways to save.. i have a limited income and cannot afford a lot of expensive gadgets, however , i am willing to try and do what i can . thank you for powers smart pricing,, please alert me by mail on any suggestions you might have regarding how i can save more."

So as you can see, we received comments of all different kinds. People want more information, they want less information or they want to have a better way to customize how much information they are receiving. These suggestions and comments are the best way for us make sure Power Smart Pricing continues to improve for everybody.

One of things we have to work on, is to better communicate some of the tools we offer to our participants. A lot of the comments we have are customers asking for things that we already provide. So as a first step in the process, the PSP blog will be writing up a series highlighting tools that are available that people may not be taking advantage of.

Having passionate and active customers is the most valuable resource this program has. Thanks so much for all your input!

[Video] 'Tis the Season for LEDs

2010-12-03T14:53:00.001-06:00

Now that everyone is digging up and dusting off their holiday lights, you might find that those old lights just aren't cutting it anymore. So if you're gonna be rushing out to the store to make sure you have the most festive house on the block, it might be wise to look at LED lights this year. Compared to the old incandescent holiday lights, LEDs are brighter, they last longer and (shh.. don't tell anyone) they'll cost you a whole let less on your electric bill. Whether you want to be big and festive or save an extra few dollars, LED's are your best bet. Check out the video below from the NBC affiliate from the Tri-State area. In the video, when Tafi Walker from Ameren Illinois gets on, I am pretty sure she is saying that each individual light bulb could save you up $3 over the month. That's a lot of extra lottery ticket stocking stuffers...

October is Energy Awareness Month

2010-10-07T14:04:00.001-05:00

Considering the Power Smart Pricing website has the current price of electricity on its homepage, you would think that we would know all about Energy Awareness Month. Apparently through presidential proclamation in 1991, October has since been known as Energy Awareness Month. This tradition continues today:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2010 as National Energy Awareness Month. I call upon the citizens of the United States to recognize this month by making clean energy choices that will help build a stronger Nation, a more robust economy, and a healthier environment for our children.

Well, there you have it. It is, in fact, Energy Awareness Month. Maybe we need an Energy Awareness Month Awareness Month. To be honest, October doesn't seem to be the best month for something like this. At least out here in the midwest this is the time of year that the outdoor temperatures are pretty close to most people's ideal indoor preference. Therefore, people's bills are low and energy usage is not to high on the priority scale. For example, the highest price for today is 3.8 cents, or roughly 2 cents below the Ameren Illinois' flat rate.

The message however is great. Saving energy saves money. The more that our friends and neighbors can learn about the best way to do this better all our communities will be. So speak up and share the savings. The Power Smart Pricing Blog proclaims this month to be Power Smart Pricing Awareness Month!

Click here to learn more about what you can do for Energy Awareness Month.

Review of Microsoft Hohm & Blue Line Energy Monitor

2010-09-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

This review is interesting because it's not from a website that's geared toward energy saving and conservation. There is a lot of good insight in here about what your experience could be like if you decided to invest in the access to all this new energy information.

This kind of feedback allows for easy experimentation. Does opening the windows and running four fans at full blast use less power than running the AC? And if so, how much lower is it?

The article is written from the perspective of someone who likes gadgets, but is generally clueless about how much electricity all those appliances are using. Best of all, he figured out whether it was all worth it. It's one thing to invest in energy savings, but if it costs more to install everything than what you'll save on your bill, then it doesn't make too much sense.

Personally, I found the most value from the basic real-time display. Stick it in some well-trafficked spot and you're sure to see it numerous times per day, getting a decent sense of how your home's power load varies through the day and throughout the year.

As for Power Smart Pricing customers, it is even more important to know how much electricity you are using in real-time. This extra piece of information would make saving even easier. It would essentially complete the whole cost picture. And think, this all in comparison to the vast majority of customers who see a snapshot once a month.

Read the full Ars Technica review here.

More on Ameren's Free E-Smart Thermostat

2010-08-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Power Smart Pricing Blog has covered the Free E-Smart Thermostat before. Ameren has since uploaded a video to its ActOnEnergy website to explain the installation process as well as the benefits.

A Guide to Free Electricity

2010-08-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves the idea of free electricity. Well, here's a quick guide to build your own small wind generator. All you need is a do-it-yourself attitude and a some sophisticated tools in the garage. Just a quick note: it won't be the easiest of undertakings...

If you're not up for the challenge, the video below will at least provide a neat lesson in how wind turbines work.

Microsoft Hohm’s First Gadget

2010-07-28T11:48:00.001-05:00

Here at the Power Smart Pricing Blog as well as through the office phone lines, we get a lot of questions about energy monitoring devices. In the past, CNT Energy offered its participants the Price Light. Despite some of their technological shortcomings (like signal strength), the Price Light was able to help people save money simply by changing color. Now some big names in technology with deep pockets have begun developing new devices, software and partnerships ushering in the next era in home energy monitoring.

The most recent unveiling belongs to Microsoft with their gadget partner Blue Line Innovations. The gadget bundle includes a sensor, in home monitor and WiFi Gateway. It allows you to view your home's energy usage in near real-time on the monitor and the data is compatible with the Microsoft Hohm website.

Early reviews from around the Internet have said that installation is easy. Earth2Tech blogger Kevin Tofel says that "Installing the sensor took me about 15 minutes and was quite simple using the included instructions." At Engadget, a popular gadget and technology blog, they wrote that "Installation is easy -- well, relatively easy at least, compared to the circuit breaker dissection required when we tested out the TED 5000 last year. Unlike then we never felt that our life was at risk, nor did we consider spending the money to call an electrician."

So now that you know its easy... you know about Microsoft Hohm, the real questions on everyone's mind are "How much is it?" and "Does it work with Day-Ahead pricing?"

The entire bundles costs $250 and if you already have wireless Internet set up your home it will be compatible out-of-the-box. This is pretty fair price, and an argument can be made that this device will save you some money and pay you back for the initial cost. Also, if you haven't toured Microsoft Hohm's website, its goal is to give you personalized energy efficiency and conservation tips based on home's profile and energy usage. Overall, a great package deal. You can even buy it right now!

The one bit a caution with the product is that I am not convinced it will work with hourly pricing. It is compatible with a Time-of-Use rates that change a couple times a day, but there is no indication that it can handle something more complicated. The information like real-time energy usage will still be very useful, but it may not be able to We would love to get a report back from anyone who tries it.

More info from BlueLine Innovation can be found here.

Also be sure to check out Microsoft Hohm.

From Earth2Tech - REVIEW: Microsoft Hohm’s First Gadget

From Engadget - Microsoft partners with Blue Line Innovation for Hohm-compatible monitoring device, we go hands-on

New PSP Pricing Gadgets

2010-07-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

We have been approached a couple times over the past few weeks from developers of new electricity pricing gadgets compatible with Power Smart Pricing. Hopefully one of the options will match what your eye is looking for and make it easy for you to get the information you want.

Power Stoplight

The Power Stoplight shows the current price of electricity as well as the upcoming hours. It also incorporates the very glanceable feature of a stop light that changes color based on the price. You can also find the application in the Apple iTunes store for the iPhone which adds the bonus of checking the prices on the go!! The Power Stoplight is also in development to be available on your Blackberry. To learn more, go to http://www.powerstoplight.com/

Power Smart Pricing Monitor
The Power Smart Pricing Monitor is made specifically for Power Smart Pricing. This application runs on the desktop of compatible Windows computers. It shows the current price of electricity with a background color that indicates if the price is low, moderate or high. It also displays a message about the hour with the highest price as well as when the price will come back down. This is a great tool to find the cheapest time to do some of your electricity demanding chores. To download this program to learn more go to http://sites.google.com/site/radioetcetera/home/power-smart-pricing-monitor

These two programs are a great example of the passion of the participants for Power Smart Pricing. It also shows what happens when creativity meets new opportunities. We are very proud of our customers and all we ask is keep saving and keep up the good work!

PSP 2009 Annual Report in now Available

2010-05-27T14:43:00.004-05:00

The new annual report is now available at http://www.powersmartpricing.org/about/annual-reports/. It provides a lot of information about the program to date and how customers responded to the change in prices. Most importantly, it also has a breakdown of the amazing year of savings enjoyed in 2009.

In 2009, the aggregate savings for PSP participants was $1,388,996 which represented a 23.6% total savings compared to what the same bills would have been under the standard rate. Average annualized savings were $304.98 or 24.4%. These percentage savings are three times greater than what was seen in 2008, largely due to the low market prices for electricity.

This estimate of bill savings does not include the additional savings that comes from the conservation effect of the program. Including an annual decrease in consumption of 151 kWh per customer at roughly ten cents/kWh for energy and distribution, there is an additional $15.10 that the average PSP participant avoided paying in 2009. If that savings had been included, the average annualized savings would have risen from 24.4% to 25.6%. For 6,652 participants, that represents an additional annualized aggregate bill savings of $100,445.

This report is a result of the continuing work of a Summit Blue Consulting, now a part of Navigant Consulting, to evaluate the Power Smart Pricing program as a third party. CNT Energy prepared the 2009 Power Smart Pricing Operational Report which can be found in Appendix A. Readers who are not familiar with the Power Smart Pricing program may find it helpful to review Appendix A before reading this evaluation report.

Ameren Customers Get Rebates on ENERGYSTAR Products

2010-05-20T15:36:00.000-05:00

If you're interested in upgrading some home appliances, Ameren's Act On Energy program can provide you rebates on energy efficient products. This is a great way to double your ways to save.

Room Air Conditioner Units - $35 RebateAn ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioner (A/C) unit will use at least 10 percent less energy than conventional models…more

Ceiling Fans with Built-in Lighting and Ceiling Fan Light Kits - $20 RebateENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans are always equipped with a reverse mode that allows the fan to spin in two directions…more

Dehumidifiers - $25 RebateENERGY STAR qualified dehumidifiers remove the same amount of moisture as conventional models but use 10 to 20 percent less energy…more

After you have made your purchase, attach the receipt and your Ameren electric bill to the appropriate rebate form below.

Online Rebate Forms
Follow the links below to view and print the rebate form(s) you need.
Room Air Conditioner Rebate Form
Dehumidifier Rebate Form
Ceiling Fan with Built-in Lighting or Ceiling Fan Light Kit Rebate Form

Inhabitat Earth Day special: seven gadgets that help you save energy -- Engadget

2010-04-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

The Power Smart Pricing Price Light, better known as the Energy Orb, got some recent press on an influential technology and gadget blog. It may have had more to do with Earth Day, but it was still nice to come across this simple gadget that has accomplished a lot. When most manufacturers are packing as many features and gizmos into our lives as possible (see cell phones), the Price Light has been so effective by being so simple.

The Energy Orb changes color based on the price of electricity. When the price is low, it's blue. As the price goes up, it changes from green to yellow to red. This offers, for lack of a better word, glancibility. Meaning you can just glance at it, and in the blink of an eye you have some useful information. It can be both effectively ignored, and effectively responsive.

The Power Smart Pricing program used to offer a discounted version of the Energy Orb for participants that would help customers quickly get a sense of the price of electricity. While we always do our best to alert our customers about high prices, those participants that had a price light would reduce their usage an extra 10% during the same time period.

As you can see from the picture above, it doesn't have any switches, modes or fancy touch screens. It is just a light that changes color, and in this case its saves energy and, of course, money.

To learn more about the Energy Orb and 7 other energy saving gadgets including something called the UFO Powercenter click here.

CNT Energy also wrote a detailed report about the effects of the Price Light on Power Smart Pricing customers that you can download here (pdf).

RSVP to Summer Workshops Online

2010-04-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

Are you interested in attending a PSP Summer Readiness Workshop??? You should be. RSVP online at www.PowerSmartPricing.org/rsvp2010.

Workshop schedule:

• May 4, 6:30 p.m., Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur

• May 5, 6:30 p.m., Normal Public Library, 206 W. College Ave., Normal

• May 6, 6:30 p.m., Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St., Champaign

• May 11, 6:30 p.m., Peoria Public Library, Lake View Branch, 1137 W. Lake Ave., Peoria

• May 12, 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave., Jacksonville

• May 13, 6 p.m., Quincy Public Library, 526 Jersey St., Quincy

• May 18, 6:30 p.m., Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S Illinois Ave., Carbondale

• May 19, 6 p.m., Belleville Public Library, 121 E. Washington St., Belleville

• May 20, 6:30 p.m., Collinsville Public Library, 408 W Main St., Collinsville

5 Energy Saving Lightbulbs Coming Soon

2010-04-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

According to the US EPA, lighting accounts for roughly 20 % of the a household electric bills. Federal policy is fostering the development of more energy efficient lighting to outshine (pun intended) bulbs that haven't seen much improvement in the past 100 years. First to knock the incandescents of its mantle was the Compact Fluorescent Light bulb, or CFL. Now Light Emitting Diodes, or more commonly LEDs, are gaining traction.

Light most emerging technologies the prices are high. Greater competition within the industry has forced the price of these light bulbs to drop fairly dramatically over the past couple years. However the prices are still too high to break through just yet. The current round of offerings cost between $40 and $50 a bulb.

However, the even at that price they are cost effective against your old incandescent bulb. The new bulbs deliver the same amount of light while using just 25% of the electricity, and they last 25 times longer. For more on the cost effectiveness of LEDs click here.

The market for these bulbs will be people who are looking to lower their electric bill and ease their burden on the environment. Many of these customers have probably recently outfitted their house with CFLs. LEDs still offer significant advantages over CFLs. They last 10 times longer, no hazardous materials, do not emit ambient heat (which contributes to your cooling costs) and are more energy efficient.

5 LED Bulbs You Can (Soon) Buy To Replace Incandescents

2010 PSP Summer Readiness Workshop Schedule

2010-04-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

This May the Power Smart Pricing team will host workshops to help Illinois households better manage their summer electricity costs. Attend a workshop to learn how to save more energy and money at home.

• Get tips on managing your summer electricity usage and costs with the Power Smart Pricing program.
• Discover no-cost and low-cost ways to save energy.
• Learn which energy-saving home improvements could offer the best return on your investment.
• Get advice on how you can protect the environment by using energy efficiently.

Workshop Schedule:

• May 4, 6:30 p.m., Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur
• May 5, 6:30 p.m., Normal Public Library, 206 W. College Ave., Normal
• May 6, 6:30 p.m., Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St., Champaign
• May 11, 6:30 p.m., Peoria Public Library, Lake View Branch, 1137 W. Lake Ave., Peoria
• May 12, 6:30 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave., Jacksonville
• May 13, 6 p.m., Quincy Public Library, 526 Jersey St., Quincy
• May 18, 6:30 p.m., Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S Illinois Ave., Carbondale
• May 19, 6 p.m., Belleville Public Library, 121 E. Washington St., Belleville
• May 20, 6:30 p.m., Collinsville Public Library, 408 W Main St., Collinsville

Workshops are free of charge and refreshments will be provided.

RSVP to info@PowerSmartPricing.org or 1-877-655-6028 or sign up at www.PowerSmartPricing.org/rsvp2010.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Earth Hour Tonight - 8:30

2010-03-27T16:08:00.000-05:00

Earth Hour is annual call for people across the world to gather their community around the simple act of turning off the lights for one hour. It began a 2007 in Sydney, Australia and it has become a world wide sensation. Each year the event has grown larger and more MWs of electricity have been turned off in display reaffirming to notion that lots of small actions can have a tremendous impact. Tonight it continues at 8:30 PM local time.

Here's a quote from Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on being a state sponsor:

By turning out our lights for an hour on March 27, the people of Illinois will show our commitment to fighting light pollution. Earth Hour highlights the importance of conserving energy and protecting our environment for future generations.

To watch a slideshow of images taken March 27 at 8:30 PM from around the world click here.

Check out the 2010 Earth Hour video below:

New Cell Phone Charger gets "Smart" Label

2010-03-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

Whatever you call it, most people have begun to realize that our electronics are costing us more and more dollars on utility bills. Each new gadget comes with a new charger and they all stay plugged into the wall sipping precious nickels and dimes 24 hours a day. As consumer awareness grows, so does the demand for a product to let will us plug in and forget it.

First to the party is AT&T who is introducing a new cell phone charger in May called the AT&T Zero. The phone charger has the ability to sense when a phone is plugged into it. So when the phone gets unplugged it can stop drawing power from the wall. Keep in mind that it will be sold separately for around the same price as a traditional charger. It would probably be difficult to realize any savings if you purchased a new charger, but if you happen to misplace your old one you should look for this innovate, first-of-its-kind wonder device (I tried to use as many buzz words as possible).

Up to now all chargers (phone or otherwise) continue to draw electricity as long as its plugged into the wall. The amount of electricity it takes drops when a phone gets unplugged, but you might as well being paying rent on that real estate in the wall.

To learn more about the AT&T Zero, here's an article from the New York Times Gadget blog.

Calling on Developers

2010-03-08T16:46:00.001-06:00

Keeping track of your home's energy usage is something all Power Smart Pricing customers understand the value in. Lowering your consumption as the price goes up provides a unique money saving opportunity. A lot of big companies see the demand for this type of information on the horizon. In preparation, the software giants of the day, Microsoft and Google are making sure they're prepared.

Microsoft's Hohm and Google's PowerMeter represent two exciting entrants into energy management software. Over a period of a couple weeks both companies opened their programs to a trusted group of software developers to create applications and enhance their energy saving techniques.

It will take a long series of trial and error to really measure the effectiveness of these devices. In fact, the it is almost entirely up in the air as to where this software will be used. Ultimately the industry is getting flushed with tons of new data and this new data represents another way to make money (and save money for the consumer... for a price).

To learn more about Microsoft and Google's recent announcements, click here.

Instant Rebates on Appliances in IL

2010-02-12T14:07:00.001-06:00

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly known as the "stimulus"), the US Department of Energy has provided the State of Illinois $12,379,000 for a Cash for Appliances program. The money is available as an instant rebate for ENERGY STAR rated appliances from participating vendors for:

Refrigerators
Freezers
Clothes washers
Dishwashers
Room air conditioners
Gas storage water heaters
Gas tankless water heaters
Heat pump water heaters
Gas and propane furnaces
Gas boilers
Central air conditioners
Air source heat pumps

It's hard to imagine a vendor not participating in this offer because their customers will receive a discount with the US Government footing the rest of the bill. You can also receive an additional mail-in rebate with proof that your old appliance was hauled away when the new one was delivered.

The first phase of the program began on January 31 and is available for for water heaters and heating and ventilation products. The second phase will launch around Earth Day and will last until there's money left.

For more information on qualifying appliances, click here (pdf).

Free E-Smart Thermostat Coverage is Expanding

2010-02-08T14:29:00.000-06:00

There has been tremendous interest among Power Smart Pricing customers for the free E-Smart Thermostat. For more information you can find our previous post here. The rollout of the new device has not quite matched the demand, but we recently received word that Ameren is widely expanding the eligible customer geography to the following zip codes:

Peoria - 61525, 61615, 61614, 61528, 61523, 61548, 61571, 61550, 61603, 61604, 61554, 61568, 61535, 61606, 61536, 61547, 61607, 61568, 61616, 61611, 61564, 61539, 61552

Champaign - 61815, 61853, 61878, 61873, 61802, 61821, 61820, 61801, 61874, 61880, 61822, 61875, 61884, 61856, 61830, 61855, 62501, 62554, 61818, 62535, 62501, 62573, 62521, 62526, 62521, 62522, 62537, 62551, 62514, 62532, 61925, 62549

Bloomington - 61701, 61702, 61704, 61705, 61761, 61772, 61736, 61732, 61745, 61748, 61776, 61725

Metro East - 62001, 62002, 62010, 62012, 62024, 62025, 62034, 62035, 62040, 62046, 62049, 62059, 62060, 62062, 62087, 62088, 62095, 62201, 62202, 62203, 62205, 62206, 62207, 62208, ,62214, 62215, 62216, 62218, 62219, 62220, 62221, 62222, 62223, 62225, 62226, 62230, 62231, ,62232, 62234, 62236, 62239, 62240, 62242, 62243, 62244, 62245, 62248, 62249, 62254, 62255, ,62256, 62257, 62258, 62260, 62262, 62263, 62264, 62265, 62269, 62275, 62277, 62278, 62279, ,62281, 62282, 62285, 62289, 62293, 62294, 62295, 62298

Please keep in mind that the rollout of this device has to do with ensuring that the technology receives the pager signal required for the thermostat to work properly.

Historical Price Annual Update

2010-02-04T18:24:00.000-06:00

On our website we keep track of the average Day Ahead hourly price broken out by month, quarter (3 months) and year. If you haven't had a chance, take a look at Day Ahead vs Standard Prices for the breakdown. It is important to note, that this type of detail weighs each hour equally, but clearly when it comes to managing your electricity usage 4pm is more important than 4am.

The first 3 years of Power Smart Pricing has given us a great amount of data to examine. If we look first at the annual average, you can clearly see how significantly low the prices were in 2009. At 2.682 cents per kWh the average is far lower than 2008's 4.744 and 2007's 4.428. A down economy for the first half of the year dropped Commercial and Industrial demand for electricity, a cool Midwest summer lowered Residential demand and no major service or storm related damage all factored in keeping prices low.

Representing a first in the history of Power Smart Pricing we did not send a single High Price Alert (an alert sent out when at least one hour during the following day is higher than 13 cents per kWh). In fact, many of you called in thinking something might have been wrong and that you were missing them. Well, once we reassured our callers that everything was in order they were more than happy to hear about the low prices. The highest single hour price was only 7.993 cents (3pm-4pm on June 24). There were also only 5 hours all year over 7 cents.

A month by month breakdown shows which months had the highest impact on the low 2009 prices. While each month in 2009 had a lower average than its 2008 counterpart, the summer months represented the most significant drops. For example, July 2009 was more than 4 cents lower than July 2008.

We can safely assume that we won't see a year like 2009 again (in many ways...). From our small sample of 2010 prices, it looks to be closer to 2009 than 2008, but only time will tell. So before we get ahead of ourselves, let's be thankful for some low prices and big savings in 2009. Whether you realize it or not, your success is expanding the opportunity for other communities around the country to take advantage of real-time electricity pricing. Great work by all!

CES 2010 Reveals Ripe Competition

2010-01-11T14:47:00.000-06:00

Alright here it is.. after some logistical juggling and tricky air travel in the middle of the winter, the post heard round the world has finally arrived.

Everything about the show in insanely large. The booth displays, the televisions, and of foremost importance the competition. Aside from the large companies vying for the most extravagance booth, the show was stuffed to the brim with smaller businesses looking to make a few magical first impressions.

One place where that competition was brewing from all angles with everyone looking over their shoulder was the field of home energy management. Everything was up for grabs. The meters, the displays, the accessories, and even the communication technology to integrate all the madness. Unfortunately some of these ventures will fall flat because their devices will be based on a communication system that will end up going extinct (think vcr vs betamax or the contemporary version - Bluray vs HD-DVD).

Bulogics - http://www.bulogics.com/index.html
One of the companies, Bulogics is taking no chances. Their devices are based on a communication standard called Z-wave that is in direct competition with the much more successful to date, Zigbee. However in their latest iteration, they have added a simple functionality update to be able to work with all the possible outcomes (Z-wave, Zigbee, or WiFi). Bulogics has developed a Smart Grid Controller that can send and receive signals from a customers' smart meter. If the price electricity goes up, the customer can use a Bulogics surge protector to manage specific home electronics automatically. You would also be able to control your air conditioner over the internet and change the temperature based on different price points that you choose. In the end, a utility customer with a smart meter and dynamic rates like Power Smart Pricing can see energy cost savings automatically. No more checking the prices and scrambling around the house.

4Home Energy - http://www.4home.com/
Aside from the actual equipment and communication standards, companies are competing in the area of software. Just like Power Smart Pricing's new Bill Comparison Tool, utilities are looking for ways to take all this new information and communicate it effectively to their customers. 4Home Energy has developed software that is designed to be "plug and play" for utilities' new expansion of a smart meter system. From the brief demo, it is clear that they have managed to incorporate a lot of the important aspects of managing your home energy usage. You would be able to control your HVAC equipment, your lights, and your larger appliances over the internet or through an in-home display.

So what does all this mean? Things are in good shape. Healthy competition will ensure that the best will eventually make its way to the top. In the meantime, hurdles will have to be crossed to bring this emerging field to fruition. For starters, every company is somewhat waiting and watching for the continued expansion of smart meters in residences.

The so called silver bullet, the necessary component to all this is quite clear... these companies need customers with dynamic pricing. The traditional flat rate would stifle extended innovation. Customers want more for less while the flat rate's offer of less for less leave these competitors racing without a spur.

CES Countdown is On!

2010-01-07T15:12:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow the PSP Blog is leaving its comfortable surroundings in Illinois and trading snow and cold for the desert winds of Las Vegas for CES 2010. Be prepared for an all day onslaught of TMI (Too Much Information). The plan is to not get too sidetracked by oversized televisions, touchscreens, and crazy robots.

There should be reports on new home management displays, batteries, and perhaps an energy efficient television or two... So don't stray too far.

After the weekend, the PSP Blog will post a wrap up featuring the grand themes and schemes headed our way. The blog will weigh in on any success real-time pricing programs like Power Smart Pricing have had on the collective minds of our future innovators.

If you have any requests or specific questions that you are seeking answers for, leave a comment and the PSP Blog will do its best to answer it.

More CES 2010 Fever

2010-01-05T11:56:00.000-06:00

The bloggers over at Earth2Tech have put together a "Green Guide" for CES 2010. Some of their highlights match the PSP Blog's top list, but it still should be an interesting read.

Click here for earth2tech's guide to CES 2010.

Everyone be on the lookout for updates from the CES floor on Friday January 8th. The event will be a great time, and it will see the road map laid out for 2010 and beyond. The technology world might not be caught up with Power Smart Pricing, but I guess we should give them a chance to wow us this year...

1/2 Energy & Environment Links

2010-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

WattVision Is Latest Tool for Easy Real-Time Energy Monitoring (Video)

Wattvision is a new plug-n-play tool for real time energy monitoring. Like most power monitors available on the market, you just snap a sensor on to your electricity meter and you can get real-time energy consumption data on your computer or smart phone. But an interesting pricing structure, super simple displays, and social networking tools for energy consumption data could help set Wattvision apart from the rest of the market.

Energy Star Gets Tough on LG Electronics

The Department of Energy has announced that, as of Jan. 20, LG Electronics will be banned from using the Energy Star label on 20 of its refrigerator-freezer models.

Amazing Glitter-Sized Photovoltaic Cells Look Like Golden Snowflakes

As snowstorms sweep the country, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are warming up our winter blues with the creation of these gorgeous snowflake-shaped photovoltaic cells. The glitter-sized solar sequins are made from crystalline silicon and use 100 times less material to generate the same amount of electricity as standard solar cells made from 6-inch square solar wafers. Perfect for soaking up the sun’s rays on unusual shapes and surfaces, the solar cells are expected to be less expensive, more efficient, and have promising applications in textiles and clothing.

NYC Pedal Powered Ball Drop

2009-12-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Tonight when we're dancing and cheering in the new year with eyes glued to New York City's famous Time Square ball drop (an anticlimactic hour early here in the Midwest..) we'll have to thank the many people who made that celebratory glow possible. For the past month, people were invited to take a turn on a Duracell Power Rover and charge batteries through pedal power. Come the countdown to a new decade, the numbers lighting up 2010 will all come from human power.

So exciting!

Learn more from Duracell here.

Top 5 Energy Display Devices Coming to CES 2010

2009-12-29T15:46:00.000-06:00

The Consumer Electronics Show is on the horizon (Jan 7-10, 2010) and will feature some new in home displays and wired appliances that will usher in a new era of home networking. Luckily for you faithful readers, the PSP blog will be on hand to cover all the exciting developments.

Here is list (in no particular order) of the most anticipated exhibitions:

Tendril:
As a leader in home energy management, Tendril will be showing the Tendril Tree. It's an entire "ecosystem" of products that offer a variety of automated energy efficiency services (Demand Response, Energy Efficiency and pricing). The products are consumer-centric, but are designed to seamlessly work with utilities over an open and standards-based platform.

Whirpool Corporation:
The appliance manufacturer has been very outspoken over the past year in its support of smart grid initiatives. It's vision of a connected grid comes with a new era of "smart" appliances that will help consumers take advantage of new rates (like Power Smart Pricing) that will automate energy efficiency and cost saving modes based on the current price of electricity.

Control4:
This is an interesting addition to the field because Control4 is more about lighting, audio, and security controls from a central management display. It's only because of consumer demand that they are adding energy management functionality. The amount that Control4 dedicates to it will provide some interesting insight as to how hard this demand is pushing.

Embertec:
As a energy management startup, Embertec is receiving a lot of positive press for its innovative line of computer chips that automatically reduce energy waste in your appliances. The chips are designed to learn and adapt the way an appliance consumes power while in standby mode. This allows any appliance to quickly reduce its consumption of vampire power.

4Home, Inc:
This company has received innovation awards from CES and other trade shows for the past few years. They provide a portal to manage and connect devices in the home. With an eye towards energy savings, 4Home has developed a series of tools that will be on display.

With a competitive and crowded field, the need for continual improvement will determine which company will come out ahead. This year's Consumer Electronics Show will provide a great snapshot to compare their various advancement. As the show nears there will be more to come...

Energy Efficient Traffic Lights Can't Melt Snow

2009-12-17T11:54:00.000-06:00

Cold weather states are reporting that their LED traffic lights cannot melt snow and are becoming obstructed. They have been indicated as the reason for traffic accidents, however traffic experts claim that most drivers end up treating them as stop signs. It turns out that the energy efficient LED bulbs are not keeping up with their inefficient incandescent ancestors which gave off waste heat.

The new traffic lights are said to be 90% more efficient and last significantly longer than incandescent.

Wisconsin, which has put LED bulbs at hundreds of intersections, saves about $750,000 per year in energy costs, said Dave Vieth of the state Transportation Department. LEDs installed seven years ago are still burning, while most incandescent bulbs have to be replaced every 12 to 18 months, he said.

The snow won't obstruct a traffic light in all winter storms. The wind and snowfall has to be just right, but in those cases the current solution is to manually remove it. States and traffic authorities are experimenting with weather shields and other tech fixes.

To learn more about it check out the AP Story.

12/13 Energy & Environment Links

2009-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Control the Climate at Your Desk, Save Energy

Ever wish you could micromanage the heating and cooling of your workplace down to the area around your desk? Turns out, not only would it make you more comfortable, but it would also save energy.

Millions of homes to get energy efficiency displays

Driven by consumer interest in energy and utility smart-grid programs, home energy information displays are poised to enter people's kitchens and living rooms in large numbers over the next few years, Pike Research forecast in a report on Thursday.

NYC Passes Landmark Greener Greater Buildings Plan!

Just last night, the New York City Council voted overwhelmingly to pass the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan – a package of bills aiming to reduce New York City’s carbon emissions by almost 5%, create more than 17,000 jobs, and save New Yorkers $700 million dollars a year in energy costs (via Campaign for New York’s Future).

Batteries to Become Important Part of the Grid

2009-12-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

The electric grid is a complex machine that has been developed since its inception to become more and more reliable. One way utilities have been able to uphold this standard is by getting energy from power plants that churn out a consistent and predictable level of electricity. However, emerging renewable energy technologies do not. Sometimes the wind blows, sometimes the sun shines.

Utility sized battery storage is becoming an increasingly sought after piece to America's energy puzzle. Large scale grid storage would allow utilities to "smooth" energy fluctuations. The poles and wires of the grid can neither have too much electricity or too little. The batteries would allow an opportunity for grid operator to store excess energy or use the stored power to cover any spikes in demand.

The question going forward is not if, but how it is going to look. Two options have begun to emerge with pilot projects testing their respective feasibility. One option is to build a large scale battery (generally made from a lot of smaller batteries) like A123's 8 MW battery. The other is a distributed network of batteries that could cover a single neighborhood which would create a much more nimble and faster acting more customized problem averting system.

Utilities in Illinois purchase their electricity on a real-time market similar to what you'll see for Power Smart Pricing customers. Just like our program, one way to lower your costs for electricity is to take advantage of lower priced hours. Putting batteries onto the grid would create a cost saving opportunity to recharge a battery at night when prices are the lowest, then that stored energy could underbid any of the electric generation that is occurring during a demand peak.

To learn more A123's massive battery, click here.
To learn more about the distributed battery model click here.

In Home Display Review from Engadget

2009-12-08T13:21:00.000-06:00

The writers over at Engadget spent some time with three energy consumption monitoring devices. They reviewed and compared Google's PowerMeter online gadget, the TED 5000, and the kit from AlertMe Energy. Overall, it's great to see advancement from start-up companies emerging across genres.

They came to some conclusions about everything from installation to the device's ultimate practicality. Check it out. It's an interesting perspective from people who know more about gadgets than they do about the smart grid.

The Engadget review can be found here.

12/5 Energy & Environment Links

2009-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Lockheed Expands Its Smart Grid Wings

Lockheed Martin, which has been expanding into smart grid and alternative energy for the past year, said today that it will work with a series of utilities – including PPL Electric Utilities, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative – on implementing security solutions for the grid.

Solar Plant in Space Gets Go-Ahead

California regulators on Thursday went where no regulators have gone before — approving a utility contract for the nation’s first space-based solar power plant.

SmartSynch Launches Universal Smart Grid Router

Is it “the Rosetta Stone of the smart grid?” Well, that’s a tall order, but smart grid network company SmartSynch says it’s launching a “universal” router for the smart grid, dubbed GridRouter, that can connect various networks, products and languages to help create an open ecosystem for the next-generation version of the digital power grid. The Internet Protocol-based GridRouter can act as a bridge between proprietary smart grid devices from companies, says SmartSynch.

How much is your home costing you?

2009-12-02T16:51:00.000-06:00

So you get the bill at the end of the month, you look at, and it pretty much means nothing past "when and how much." The consumer centric information coming with smart grid advances is just that... coming. Even then it will require some more digging if you are truly interested to see just how the bill stacks up. An analogy that has often been made has compared electricity billing to going to the grocery store, picking out all your items, and then getting a total at the end of the month without knowing what each item cost you.

Well, consumer demand is changing rapidly. People are more and more interested in just how their money is getting spent. This demand is pushing appliance manufacturers, utilities, and the media to pay attention and innovate. A recent story in the Chicago Tribune by Cara Davis directly addresses this need. It's simple. It's to the point, and it really makes you wonder how this information has been so hidden for so long.

The article is titled "How much is your home costing you?" with the simplest of pictures featuring a kitchen with common appliances and their costs. It makes you think just long enough to look at your refrigerator a little differently the next time you open the door for 10 minutes figuring out what's for dinner.

Reduction in energy consumption will come from folks doing and spending the money they want on the things they want to do and buy with additional consumer demand and education on their lifetime costs. Looking at dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and all things being equal, most people will buy the one that costs less to plug in. The speed of this change is a function of the demand which is all dependent on how much people know. Making these costs more transparent is the key to lowering the energy demand, but don't worry it won't spoil your Chinese food leftovers.

How much is your home costing you? (the print version contained the image above)

What if we all had RTP?

2009-11-30T16:11:00.000-06:00

As a recipient of ARRA smart grid funds, Burbank Water and Power in California is set to automatically switch some of its largest residential customers to time-of-use rates. In all, BWP is installing 77,000 smart meters provided by Trilliant, a leading smart grid start up company. Households getting the new meters whose energy usage is greater than 250 kilowatts a month will be placed on time-of-use rates.

It will be essential for the program administrators to accurately educate their new crop of participants on how to take advantage of the potential benefits as well as limit any ideas that they are guaranteed. Initially, fear of the unknown will be a difficult hurdle to cross. However acceptance will come as soon as savings are understood and realized. This takes work from both engaged and educated participants to administrators who must be determined to figure out just how to engage and educate.

This initiative begs to ask the wider question, what if the rest of the country was automatically switched to real-time pricing?

Overall, it would be a great. One thing that Power Smart Pricing has shown is that participants with all types of housing size, hvac equipment, and usage have enjoyed savings. Some households would be better off than others, and surely there would be people who end up spending more, but in general America's bills would go down. The price curve would flatten and be less volatile as there would be more conservation during higher prices and more usage during lower priced hours.

Appliances would see a new era of innovation. Consumers would demand products that could react and shift to changing price demands. Products like the commercial-centric Ice Bear from Ice Energy that cools ice over night during cheaper evening prices to then use as an alternative to the expensive compressor during the peak afternoon periods would be more refined and aimed at homeowners.

This change would bring energy consumption closer to energy costs. The electricity market would be a vastly different stage. Again, we must commend our Power Smart Pricing participants as catalysts for more and more experimentation and confidence in the area of real-time pricing. Much of the consumer benefit of the expanded information with the smart grid depends on this pricing choice. The Burbank project will be closely watched.

11/21 Energy & Environment Links

2009-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Lesson Learned from the PG&E Smart Meter Suit: It’s a Communication Problem

We’ve yet to delve too deeply into all of the fisticuffs surrounding the suit filed by a Bakersfield, Calif. resident against utility PG&E for a smart meter that he says tripled his electricity bill.

Will consumers plug into home energy displays?

Dozens of home energy monitors are coming to market, but nobody knows whether only hybrid Prius owners will use them.

Wearable Technology Power Your Music Player With Your Running Pants

Talk about a dance, dance revolution: The Dancepants Kinetic Music Player, a shortlisted entry in Designboom’s Green Life competition, makes you work for tunes.

Introducing the $23 Billion for "Cash for Caulkers"

2009-11-18T17:22:00.004-06:00

It appears that the success of "Cash for Clunkers" created enough buzz for a spin off. (However, this all should be credited to the catchy Cash4Gold.com people.) Well either way, it is time for those programs to move aside for our personal favorite, "Cash for Caulkers."

The general goal of the program would be to pay homeowners to make energy efficient improvements on their homes. The potential value of such a program would be great because as we all know that cost effective home improvements bear savings month to month. The details need to be worked out, but this idea has achieved such high endorsements as former President Bill Clinton, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and John Doerr, an influential venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.

Here is the general breakdown as of the proposed program (via The New York Times):

The official name of the program would be Homestar, playing off the name Energy Star, a government program that promotes energy-efficient appliances.
It would cost $23 billion over two years. Of that, $6 billion would go to incentives to people who did at least two significant weatherization projects — such as air sealing, insulation, new light bulbs and new appliances. Homestar would have a list of 10 such projects. Households that did at least two would be eligible for up to $2,000. Households that did four would be eligible for up to $3,500. The government money could not pay for more than half of any project.
Another $12 billion would be set aside for households that undertook a weatherization project that reduced energy consumption by at least 20 percent. A 20 percent reduction would bring a $4,000 subsidy. Each additional 5 percent reduction would bring another $1,500. Again, government money could not pay for more than half of any project.
Some portion of weatherization projects would be audited to ensure they had done what they were supposed to. These audits would be paid for with $2 billion for program administration.
The remaining $3 billion for the program would pay for incentives to retailers, like Home Depot and Lowe’s, and contractors. “What you want to be able to do,” Mr. Doerr said, “is walk into Sears or Home Depot and see a great big Homestar logo and a Homestar sales representative."

Even more from the New York Times (including an interactive graphic).
More from Earth2Tech.

11/15 Energy & Environment Links

2009-11-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Streetlights of the Future to be Powered by Trash

It's an idea that just seems to make a certain amount of sense: cities need streetlights, and cities need places for people to throw away their trash. Streetlights, which must stay on all night (unless they're these nifty sensor controlled ones), are a pretty sizable energy drain. But what would happen if all those people could toss their garbage into bins attached to a new kind of streetlight that could use it as fuel? And that's what we have here today. Introducing: the trash-powered street lamp.

Setting Sail Into Space, Propelled by Sunshine

About a year from now, if all goes well, a box about the size of a loaf of bread will pop out of a rocket some 500 miles above the Earth. There in the vacuum it will unfurl four triangular sails as shiny as moonlight and only barely more substantial. Then it will slowly rise on a sunbeam and move across the stars.

Microsoft Hohm: First Seattle City Light, Now Xcel Energy

Microsoft's Hohm home energy platform will soon be able to deliver monthly energy use data for all of Xcel Energy's 3.4 million customers across eight states, all without smart meters. The two companies plan to announce the news on Friday at an event at Microsoft's campus in Fargo, N.D., a Microsoft spokesperson said Thursday.

GE Introduces First "Smart Appliance"

2009-11-13T14:39:00.002-06:00

The Smart Grid is coming! The Smart Grid is coming! Soon to follow are smart appliances. You can now (as in right now -however its not available in IL yet) buy the new Energy Star rated GE Hybrid Water Heater.

To create the next generation of water heaters, GE rethought every aspect of this appliance from the ground up. The result is a innovative new product that can reduce water heater operating cost up to 62% and save $320 per year.* That adds up to significant savings, and you won't have to give up a single drop of hot water.

The water heater is an excellent place to start. It is the biggest energy sucking appliance after your heating and cooling system. What makes this water heater smart is its ability to communicate to an outside system that can control what mode the water heater is in. During periods of high prices, the water heater can theoretically be shifted remotely by the utility the most energy efficient settings. This would be a similar program to an air conditioning cycling program.

An article from the New York Time's Green Inc. blog, relays that it is unfortunate that most consumers would not be able to see this added benefit.

There is no monetary incentive to program the water heater to go into energy-saving mode at 4 p.m., in other words — so the “smartness” has no immediate purpose.

Again as Power Smart Pricing customers, you all are on the front line to take advantage of the newest innovations in the energy cost savings world. It's so new that this feature is barely ever mentioned on GE's web page dedicated to the water heater. The real goal would be for the water heater to automatically adjust its settings based on how the consumer wants it to react to certain price points. For the time being, smart appliances and meters will be developed with the utility in mind.

Dynamic pricing programs like Power Smart Pricing are too few and far between for developers to aim their products at the consumer. Fortunately you all have proven that real-time pricing programs work for a wide variety of households and various levels of access to latest technologies.Your successes are paving the way towards wider acceptance of this pricing method and slowly but surely the products will change and advance with you in mind. Savings will follow.

For more from Green Inc on the smart appliance, click here.
To learn more (including multiple videos) about GE's Hybrid Electric Water Heater, click here.

PSP in the Quincy News (updated w/ video)

2009-11-12T11:33:00.003-06:00

The article accompanying the video (yet to be posted online Update: Now with video!) features Power Smart Pricing participant David Edwards who has been a happy customer for the past 16 months. Thanks for the great coverage!

Check it out here.

More Winter Saving (online version)..

2009-11-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

There is never a limit on savings... well maybe your total bill. Over CNet's GreenTech blog they have compiled a great guide to using the online tools that are available to everyone to get some personalized energy saving advice. In most of these cases, the software will ask you to profile your home to specify some places to target for energy and money savings.

Unfortunately, Power Smart Pricing customers won't be given time specific advice to help manage some of the higher winter prices. (Keep in mind that prices are generally lower than the flat 24 hours a day, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a pattern featuring higher priced times.)

To check out their guide to energy saving webware (their word, not mine) click here.

Home Energy Saving is Relaxing, Stylish and Tasty

2009-11-04T17:21:00.000-06:00

Sealing air leaks in windows, door and electric outlets are a common solution. So is adding insulation and raising your blinds in the middle of the day to allow for passive solar heating. But ultimately, saving energy and money is something that we do everyday without even noticing. It comes in all forms, and it has all kinds of benefits. For Power Smart Pricing customers, combining your schedule and energy saving techniques is your best choice to increase savings and lower your bills.

For example, if you are an avid runner you could run in the evening to avoid the high electricity prices between 6-8 during cooler months (even better if you have electric heat...). Maybe running isn't your thing. Do you have a dog? Put on some layers and go for a walk. Who knew that energy saving could be so relaxing?

There are so many ways to conserve energy that most of the time you don't even have to think about it. Like that ever so desirable Snuggie, one impulse buy off QVC and you got yourself some energy savings. That Snuggie might even pay for itself... if it weren't for the shipping and handling. Who knew such a "smart" purchase could look so "stylish?"

It's getting cold, and now we get to battle everyday to stay warm. How about some tea? Coffee? Warm apple cider? Hot chocolate (with marshmallows of course)? Not sure if there is a better excuse to enjoy a warm drink than energy savings... well maybe that's just me.

Energy saving isn't all that hard. The key is finding those things that you enjoy to do and actually do them. If you believe me, plan a time to run this week and come home to a Snuggie and some hot chocolate. I bet you would let your thermostat drop without even checking it. Who knew energy saving could be so relaxing, stylish, and tasty all at the same time?

11/1 Energy & Environment Links

2009-11-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

A place known for mustard shows fine taste for conservation

The Elithis Tower, its builder says, is an office building like no other, an oval-shaped showcase for how to help save the planet on a reasonable budget.

Very Promising! Zinc-Air Battery Could Hold 300% More Energy Than Lithium-Ion

Not quite as impressive on paper as the lithium-air battery we wrote about (which claimed 10x more energy storage than regular lithium-ion), but it might turn out to be easier to take out of the lab and bring to market. ReVolt Technology, a company based in Staefa, Switzerland, claims that its Zinc-air battery can "store three times the energy of lithium ion batteries, by volume, while costing only half as much."

Microgrids: $2.1B Market by 2015

The idea behind microgrids – islands of renewable power generation, energy storage, building control systems, and a localized electricity distribution grid that can manage it all, whether connected to the grid at large or not.

Weighing in on Smart Grid Stimulus

2009-10-29T10:47:00.000-05:00

CNT Energy's Director of Policy and Evaluation, Anthony Star, wrote up a great piece for GE's smart grid blog on how the new funds have made "getting dynamic pricing right... more important now than ever."

There are several reasons that I am nervous about this large increase in the availability of dynamic pricing. One of our key findings has been that it is essential to think about dynamic pricing from the consumer’s point of view.

The article goes on to describe how our organization feels an effective dynamic pricing program should be run. It took us a long time and a lot of effort to figure out the best methods. The smart grid funds mark a time when a lot of different utilities across the country will be introducing dynamic pricing to their customers. If it is done right, then a lot of people (just like our Power Smart Pricing customers) will benefit from finding a new way to think about their electricity use. If not, preconceptions and apprehension about something new and different can bring the opposite effect.

Read Anthony's GE post "Why Getting Dynamic Pricing Right is More Important Than Ever."

DOE Smart Grid Funding is Announced

2009-10-27T12:18:00.002-05:00

This morning the Department of Energy announced the recipients of the $3.4 Billion allocated for 100 smart grid projects through the ARRA. Overall the funding will lead to the installation of 18 million smart meters, 1 million in-home energy management displays, 170,000 smart thermostats, as well as advanced transformers and load management devices.

While this is a major day for the smart grid on a national scale, it is unfortunate that neither of the major Illinois utilities were among those chosen to receive funds. The competition was incredibly fierce. Of the 400 applicants only 100 projects will see their projects funded through the grant.

Alongside the $3.4 billion set aside by the federal government, $4.7 billion in private funds will contribute to a total of $8.1 billion. This is quite an investment for an emerging field. Smart grid projects are still new and today is a day that will surely mark its true arrival.

Many of the projects include a dynamic pricing option where customers will pay for electricity on a rate that varies across each day and provides incentives to manage peak electric demand. Some projects even include a real-time pricing model like Power Smart Pricing where that rate will be based on the wholesale electricity market prices.

Here in Illinois we have seven years of experience of how to get the consumers, environmentalists, citizen watchdog groups, utilities, and governments all on board with dynamic pricing. This was not achieved by a chanced interaction between a group of like minded people. All parties had their input, and thus a mutually agreed upon consumer-centric approach has been successful. Nationwide roll outs of these programs need to be handled with care, and they need to focus on making it easy for the consumer.

Click on the map to open a pdf.

For more details, you can see lists of the smart grid projects by category (pdf), by state (pdf).

10/24 Energy & Environment Links

2009-10-24T08:00:00.006-05:00

Debate Follows Bills to Remove Clotheslines Bans

As much a cultural clash as a political and economic one, the issue is causing tensions as homeowners, landlords and property managers have traded nasty letters and threats of legal action.

U.S. Green Building Retrofit Market to Hit $15B by 2014: Report

Just days after the White House outlined its strategy for bolstering the home energy retrofit market, a new report from research and publishing firm McGraw-Hill Construction predicts the market for nonresidential green building retrofits is set to soar and represents a better opportunity for designers and builders than new construction.

Financial Innovation We Can Believe In?

It's fairly well-established that people could save money over the long run by making their homes more energy-efficient—better insulation, say—or even, in some cases, putting solar panels on their roofs to generate their own electricity. But many of these upgrades never happen, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the incentives are misaligned, if, say, the landlord owns the building but the tenant pays electricity and heating costs. And sometimes homeowners are dissuaded by the high upfront capital costs.

Solar Gets a Hand from Auto Manufacturers

2009-10-22T15:46:00.003-05:00

An interesting story out of the New York Times Environment and Energy blog called Green, Inc discusses the great fit between the expanding solar industry and the struggling auto industry. As the solar industry is looking to expand their manufacturing capabilities with the rise of consumer and industrial demand, the auto industries well documented difficulties through the recession give access to an eager and well trained manufacturing workforce.

On Tuesday solar start-up, Skyline Solar announced that Cosma International will produce the metal components of their solar panels. Cosma's other clients include: GM, Ford, Honda, and Toyota. This comes after a similar announcement that Clairvoyant Energy and Xtreme Power Inc. are converting an idled Ford plant in Michigan to produce renewable energy components.

Clearly the solar industry has a long way to go to fill the gap in lost manufacturing, but its a heartwarming story to see the ingenuity and ability of a trained workforce in action. Car manufacturers will bring the expertise of handling a large supply and production efficiencies to lower costs. The car industry's misfortune presents quite an opportunity for the younger solar industry, and this trend should only continue to the benefit off all involved.

For more go to the Green Inc article.

White House Unveils "Recovery Through Retrofit"

2009-10-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

The goal of the Recovery Through Retrofit plan is to expand home energy retrofit programs and energy efficiency. The report sites the barriers that have prevented the field from expanding and reaching more of the 130 million homes in the United State that could use a boost in efficiency. The key to the new initiative is to overcome these barriers to help homeowners make cost effective investments in their homes.

A common reason many people do not make the investments is the initial cost. One proposed solution is to take the cost of the home energy improvements and incorporate them into property taxes each month. Turning the payments into a monthly obligation would allow for a scenario where the monthly energy cost savings would be offset the change in property taxes.

Additionally, the report covers a collaboration between the Department of Labor, the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency to establish national workforce certifications and training standards. The goal would be to expand the home energy retrofit workforce and to build a foundation of strong consumer confidence.

This is great step towards expanding the cost effective solutions that can help alleviate the strain that energy bills place on so many families. The real challenge will be catalyzing consumer action in making a smart investment in their home. The proposed changes should initiate job creation in a field that needs a rapid expansion in both quality assurance and opportunity to homeowners.

To learn more read the report and executive summary here.

Here is a link to additional commentary from The New York Times.

Does the Smart Grid Need "Smart" Consumers?

2009-10-15T16:58:00.001-05:00

As we get to watch the initial development and deployment of the smart grid, many people are trying to predict what it will ultimately look like. There are many eager stakeholders surrounding the issue from all sides. Entrepreneurs are looking for their niche, environmentalists are looking to reduce carbon emissions, and consumers are looking to make life a little cheaper to navigate.

While there is still much uncertainty, pilot projects and studies are setting some guidelines. Researchers have found that one of the keys to energy and cost savings comes from giving residential utility customers access to a dynamic pricing plan (real-time market based pricing, hourly day-ahead pricing, or time-of-use rates). However within all the possibility of new economic development and efficiency, there are skeptics fearing that investment into a smart grid might not bear its potential due to consumers who would not be able to respond to the new dynamics. Power Smart Pricing customers are pivotal pioneers in proving that it does not take sophisticated technologies or a certain passion to achieve the milestones a complete smart grid offers.

We have used the Ambient Price Light and now twitter to get our customers price information, and we are actively seeking out new opportunities. Data from past summers has shown that energy consumption has been diverted away from peak times and lessens the need for electricity generation to come from the least efficient and dirtiest sources reserved for critical power peaks. Power Smart Pricing customers are now saving 17% since the beginning of the program in 2007 compared to what they would have paid had they stayed on the standard flat rate.

Power Smart Pricing customers have all made the decision on their own that this type of program is a better option for their household. They have used their own factors to weigh its benefits, but in the end they are just ordinary people doing as they always do. Our customers deserve all the credit, and they are shaping the expansion of the smart grid whether they know it or not.

Check out this interesting discussion on the topic of "Smart Consumers."

Team Illinois in 2nd Place at DOE Solar Decathlon

2009-10-14T16:12:00.002-05:00

With two days left of the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC, Team Illinois is currently in second place behind Team California. As of this post, Team Germany narrowly sits behind them with just a couple categories remaining to be scored.

The Solar Decathlon brings teams from all over the world to the National Mall in Washington, DC to literally build a home on the Mall. The houses are scored in 10 contests: Architecture, Market Viability, Engineering, Lighting Design, Communications, Comfort Zone, Hot Water, Appliances, Home Entertainment and Net Metering.

Team Illinois is made up of students from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. The Gable House is constructed using wood from a 100 year old barn that's outfitted with highly efficient solar panels. The combination of design and energy generation allows the house to generate 4 times as much energy as it consumes.

Take a tour of the home through its construction in the video below.

Check back to the DOE Solar Decathlon website for tons of media and up to the minute scoring.

Also check out UIUC's Gable Home page for more information on their house.

Consumer Electronics Rising Fast

2009-10-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

As Massachusetts is considering to become the second state (after California) to incorporate energy efficiency stipulations for televisions and other electronic devices like DVD players, it reveals an interesting pattern in the average American's energy consumption. Consumer electronics are becoming more and more prevalent throughout our homes and now represents 15% of our household energy usage. According to the International Energy Agency this number is expected to triple over the next couple decades.

There are not just more gadgets, but they are getting bigger and more sophisticated. This is the same path that many of our appliances have taken. Refrigerators used to be smaller while still using more electricity. A New York Times article from a couple weeks ago has an excellent chart showing the change in efficiency in our appliances since 1990. Advancements in energy efficiency has allowed us to store more cake... and it eat it too!

In 1990, refrigerator efficiency standards went into effect in the United States. Today, new refrigerators are fancier than ever, but their power consumption has been slashed by about 45 percent since the standards took effect. Likewise, thanks in part to standards, the average power consumption of a new washer is nearly 70 percent lower than a new unit in 1990.

Energy efficiency has long been seen as the most cost effective way to lower our energy costs. It also provides a way for us to keep doing the things we want without having to pay more for them. If you want to watch ultra-sharp big screen TV all day that's your choice. Would it bother anyone if it cost less?

The aforementioned New York Times article.

Google PowerMeter Annouces Partnership with TED

2009-10-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

Google's online energy management software, PowerMeter, will now be compatible with The Energy Detective series of display devices to watch your real-time energy usage. The move shows that Google is continuing to expand their software in both platform availability and ability. It also gives TED devices a much needed boost in relevance.

Unfortunately the TED devices cannot be set up to display the price of a real-time pricing program (or one that uses day-ahead prices). Their office claims that the expanded service could be available "soon." However, the device would still be an excellent way to manage your household energy usage. If you continued to check prices through our already available channels while then using TED to get up to the second usage data, then you could be assured that the steps you are taking to conserve your usage are working.

Currently you have to wait until your billing period is up to examine your hour by hour usage through Ameren's Energy Saving Toolkit, but this product would be a dramatically more effective tool to make the most cost cutting changes. Some Power Smart Pricing customers have said they like the program because it's feels like a game to see how much they can save and how much they can shift. With a TED device you could get a high price notification or receive the Daily Price Report from twitter and know exactly which hours you should conserve and then get the immediate feedback that you are doing it properly.

The cost of the device ranges from $100 - $250. It has to be attached to your circuit breaker and wired into your home so unless you are comfortable with that kind of work you will probably want to hire an electrician. Ultimately the cost seems small enough that if you actively used the newly available information, along with the price signals from Power Smart Pricing, that you could make up that initial investment in a relatively short amount of time.

For more on the TED-Google Partnership.

For more information on a TED device.

The Ted Store.

10/4 Energy & Environment Links

2009-10-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

Lemnis Lighting’s LED Bulb: It Dims But Costs $40

Standard-household-sized LED bulbs have long raised a common complaint: They don’t dim easily. Yeah, some can be dimmed by controlling the current instead of the voltage, or by making them flicker at high speeds undetectable by the human eye, but homeowners can’t just plug them into their normal light sockets and expect their dimmers to work. But that looks to be changing, with the launch of an LED bulb to replace a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb from Netherlands-based Lemnis Lighting on Friday.

Start-up crunches data for home energy efficiency tips

When it comes to saving money on utility bills, good data beats out fancy energy displays any day, say the founders of energy efficiency start-up Opower. The Arlington, Va.-based company on Thursday officially launched its energy efficiency recommendation service, after months of operating in stealth mode. Opower, previously called Positive Energy, has signed on with 18 utilities in the U.S. to provide customer usage information and recommendations on how to lower consumption of electricity and heating fuel.

Chumby One improves on predecessor

Two-years after the first Chumby helped kick-start widgets in Wi-Fi gadgets, a new version looks likely for November. First spied on blurrycam in August, the Chumby One has a new hard shell, FM and Internet radio, and a faster processor.

IL Solar Tour Kick Off

2009-10-02T16:17:00.001-05:00

This weekend the American Solar Energy Society is kicking off their National Solar Tour which includes many homes in Illinois. The tour will highlight solar options available with an additional focus on energy-saving techniques and sustainability. It will surely be a great place to talk to members of your community about the benefits and more importantly the things to watch out for when purchasing solar energy equipment.

Solar power can be a great addition for people who are on a real-time pricing program because those times that have the highest prices will generally occur when energy output from the sun is also at its peak, hot summer afternoons). As every home is a bit different, this tour provides a great way for you, as a homeowner, to seek out some very useful information.

For more information and to find a tour near you go to http://ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=549&Itemid=35

In Southern Illinois there you might be able to join this one (mostly along the Southern Illinois wine trail).

There are also a few around the Champaign-Urbana metro area, including the passive solar Smith House that has been covered on the blog.

Illinois Solar Energy Association www.illinoissolar.org

9/26 Energy & Environment Links

2009-09-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

How Brad Pitt Could Spark a Green Building Revolution

Brad Pitt started the Make It Right foundation in 2007 to rebuild homes for residents in New Orleans who lost theirs to Hurricane Katrina. Which would have been plenty admirable if that was the extent of the mission. But the foundation figured, since all eyes are on the rebuilding of Katrina, wouldn't this be a fine chance to make an ironclad case for green building?

A123Systems Shares Jump 50% in Nasdaq Debut

A123Systems’ Nasdaq debut Thursday thoroughly justified the company’s confidence in its initial public offering, with the stock leaping more than 50 percent to close at $20.29 per share after pricing at $13.50 per share Wednesday.

Build a Better Bulb for a $10 Million Prize

The ubiquitous but highly inefficient 60-watt light bulb badly needs a makeover. And it could be worth millions in government prize money — and more in government contracts — to the first company that figures out how to do it.

GE Continues Smart Grid Push

2009-09-25T10:58:00.002-05:00

GE has launched a new website called itsyoursmartgrid.com. Ever since their very inventive "If I only had a Brain" Super Bowl ad GE has led an engaging marketing campaign informing the public on the benefits of a smart grid. I could go on, but no one says it better than our own Anthony Star, "The easily understood, educational content on itsyoursmartgrid.com provides information in a simple, straight-forward manner that I've yet to find elsewhere on the Web."

Anthony is the Director of Policy and Evaluation here at CNT Energy and much of his recent work has been centered around shaping future smart grid policy in conjunction with many of the leading professionals in this emerging field. Over the past week, this influential conversation has taken place at the premier smart grid conference called Gridweek in Washington, DC. Keynote addresses were given by Secretary of the US Department of Energy Stuven Chu, and Secretary of the US Department of Commerce Gary Locke.

While experts of energy and policy can discuss the finest elements of the smart grid for an entire week using the latest industry terminology, it takes an entirely different effort to communicate its potential to the average person. GE has continued to refine and enhance its message using the web to engage potential users of this technology about its many benefits. Check out the GE's video accompanying the launch of the website.

Learn (much) more at itsyoursmartgrid.com.
GE's official press release.

PSP in the Herald-Review

2009-09-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

Tony Reid of the Decatur Herald-Review penned a great article about Power Smart Pricing. It includes some interesting quotes from a local participant and the Citizens Utility Board.

Read the full article here.

More on the Citizen's Utility Board here.

9/19 Energy & Environment Links

2009-09-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

New feature: Energy and Environment Links -
This new feature will allow the PSP Blog to add more content without dedicating a whole post to topics that may not influence Power Smart Pricing customers to directly. Hopefully this will become a regular weekend feature.

Whole Foods Market® Helps Fund New Wind Farm, Makes Landmark Purchase of Wind Energy Credits

Whole Foods Market today announced the completion of its 2009 landmark 776 million-kilowatt-hour purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs) from wind farms.

The White House Takes Aim at LEED Certification

The White House is doing its part in leading the way to a more sustainable nation. Not only are they growing their own food on site with Michelle Obama’s garden, but now even they’re aiming for LEED certification!

Are ESL bulbs better than CFL or LED?

A novel design for energy-efficient lightbulbs can produce incandescent-quality light and does not contain mercury like compact fluorescents (CFLs), according to manufacturer Vu1.

Free E-Smart Thermostat As Ameren Customer

2009-09-16T12:22:00.004-05:00

Through Ameren's Act On Energy website customers can receive a free internet enabled thermostat (a $250 value!). The E-Smart Programmable Thermostat can be accessed online so you can change the temperature settings in your home remotely. This is a great opportunity for Power Smart Pricing customers who check prices online.

The program will also automatically help you conserve electricity. During peak demand periods, times that will generally feature the highest prices of the year, the thermostat will automatically change its settings to cycle the central air conditioner on and off. This will lower its energy consumption, significantly aiding the utility to conserve its resources, and ultimately lowering your bills.

With other enhanced features, participants can easily program their house to take advantage of precooling their home in the summer and more freely respond to high prices. The online user interface provides a convenient way to navigate through all the features the thermostat provides without having to use the limited buttons and screen sizes of traditional thermostats. Sitting down for 5 minutes and programming this thermostat will save you tons of time and money later on.

For more information, check out the FAQ page (pdf).

Update: This promotion is limited to certain zip codes around Champaign and Peoria in its initial offering.

Design Concepts in Energy Displays

2009-09-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

Arriving all the way from Brussels we can find a series of interesting design concepts to report and track household energy consumption. Most conventional products getting developed look more like traditional programmable thermostats, but this exhibition is anything but ordinary.

The Visual Voltage Exhibition at Design Vlaanderen is definitely pushing the envelope. The show hopes to provide information on electricity, energy consumption, and environmental issues. Whether or not you come to the conclusion that any of these concepts are practical, they at least give you an opportunity to think about it in an entirely different light.

With Power Smart Pricing getting price information to our customers in an easy way is of utmost importance. We are constantly seeking and examining the ways in which our participants want and currently receive their information. Since the price of electricity changes each hour, ease of access to the information becomes a high priority.

In the past we have incorporated a great tool called The Price Light. It is an orb that changes colors in a range of blue (for the lowest prices) to red (the highest). We have documented data that shows that participants using the Price Light shifted more of their electricity to lower priced times. Due to technology restraints, reliability concerns, and cost we had to discontinue its use, but since we have been eager to fill its void with another device.

No one would have guessed that a light that changed colors could do some much. Check out the designs from the visual voltage exhibition here.

New Energy Star Standard for TVs

2009-09-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

Energy Star is revising its qualifications for televisions effective on May 1, 2010 and again in 2012. One of the key changes is that all tv's over 50" will be required to meet the same energy standard to achieve the coveted sticker. In past versions energy efficiency was measured as the amount of wattage per square inch of screen.

The version 4.0 Energy Star sticker, the standard set for May 2010, will require 40 percent greater efficiency, while the version 5.0 sticker will require 65 percent more efficiency than a TV sold today.

This is an interesting approach for the EPA. In most cases with the Energy Star rating the emphasis is placed how much output you can get for the amount of energy required to use the application. The shift towards putting a cap on the maximum amount of energy to receive the rating has conservation in mind.

Ultimately, consumer need will drive technology innovation. As long as shoppers continue to place energy standards at a high priority, the television makers will have to match. All for one little sticker...

For more from CNET GreenTech.
Straight from the source at Energy Star.

Home Energy Savings Can be Confusing..

2009-09-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

Many people choose to enroll in Power Smart Pricing because it gives them a way to save money off their monthly bills by using their electricity more wisely. In essence it gives customers another way to save. However it is important to not overlook the many ways households can lower their bills through more traditional approaches. In most cases, lowering overall energy consumption comes from incorporating methods that are specific to each households situation.

People have a tendency to leaves lights, tvs, and computers on while they are not being used. All of this extra cost comes from the same type of behavior. Fixing this issue first takes the recognition that you are in fact doing these things. Leaving something on is often due to forgetfulness, and therefore it can be difficult to keep track of something you are forgetting to do. No worries, just sit and think about it for a minute...

Other than personal behavior changes sometimes the extra energy used each month comes from inefficient system of household appliances and insulation. The new heating and air conditioning does not help much if the windows are left open. The washing machine's cool settings may provide the same cleaning power as the hot water setting, but if you cannot help but do it the same way you always have... well your bills will be more like they have always been too.

I recently found an article that can help clear up some of the common misconceptions about home energy solutions. Whether or not each of these improvements apply to work you are thinking of doing around your home or not, they provide a good lesson in how to think about savings and where they really come from.

Check out this recent article from Earth2Tech.

GE's Kitchen of the Future

2009-08-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

GE has long had its hand in developing the emerging technologies that can take advantage of added integration with a smart grid. CNET recently wrote a story outlining what GE's vision is for the kitchen of the future. It describes how an internet-enabled network of appliances, homes, and utilities will expand the possibilities for enhanced energy saving and consumer, as well as utility, cost reduction.

One interesting aspect of the article is how much of the innovation relies on electricity price signals from the wholesale electricity market. As Power Smart Pricing participants, it is easy to see the benefit of a refrigerator that will wait to make ice or not use its defroster during high priced times, but most residential utility customers do not have access to the variable rates that would enable this technology to lower their monthly bills.

We are firm advocates of electricity pricing choice. We know that not all customers can benefit from real-time pricing, but most in fact can. Given the current low prices of electricity in 2009, over 99% of our customers are saving with Power Smart Pricing. This figure is significantly bolstered by the 27% average participants have been able to achieve this year. Considering the billions of dollars going into the implementation of Smart Grid technologies, its significant to note what households on Power Smart Pricing have been able to achieve in many cases without much more than picking up the telephone.

We are incredibly grateful for the efforts our customers have made and we are actively spreading your achievements nationwide to firmly give you the recognition you deserve as pioneers in this emerging field. It is clear that these new technologies along with real-time electricity pricing can save energy and money, but the biggest influence factor of all is simply the availability of a dynamic rate. The real opportunity lies with the average person in the average household. No assembly required.

CNET's Kitchen of the Future article is here.

Cash for Refrigerators

2009-08-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

Business Week has put out an article this week outlining an upcoming federal rebate program that will give rebates and discounts on Energy Star rated appliances. Without a catchy title, people have declared the new incentive program "Cash for Refrigerators" (after the very popular Cash for Clunkers program).

The program includes $300 million set aside for consumers to purchase all kinds of energy efficient appliances from washers, dryers, refrigerators, and more...! Rebates will be given out in an amount ranging from $50 to $200 at the time of purchase.

Unlike the CARS program, buyers will not be forced to scrap their old appliances. But no worries because Ameren's Act On Energy portfolio includes a refrigerator recycling program. After you set up your pick up date, Ameren will come to your home and take your old working appliance and recycle it for you. If that's not easy enough, Ameren will give you (as in pay you) a $35 credit on your bill.

For more on "Cash for Refrigerators", read the Business Week article here.

Back from the State Fair & In the News

2009-08-24T16:52:00.004-05:00

Power Smart Pricing joined the Ameren Act On Energy tent at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. It was a lot of fun, and passing customers learned a lot about phantom load, appliance recycling, and of course Power Smart Pricing. Many thanks to all the organizers who put in the work to make such an interactive and engaging area to match the fun and energy of the Fair. It was a great success.

While away Power Smart Pricing was featured in the Belleville News-Democrat. The story highlights the low prices our customers have been able to enjoy and turn into savings in the first half of 2009. With natural gas prices hitting a 7 year low, it seems that a lot of energy prices are following a similar trend.

Bill inserts are continuing to go out and some customers are receiving specials letters in the mail. Keep up the work of telling your friends and neighbors about your experiences with the program and don't forget about out Home Depot Refer-a-Friend campaign!

More from the Belleville News-Democrat here.

Continued Coverage from Danville Article

2009-08-12T14:16:00.002-05:00

One of the blogs that we have followed on the blog roll called Knowledge Problem wrote up a quick summary of the Danville article. In following the comments we decided to address some of the missing gaps of information and expand further on the benefits of our variable pricing program.

Here was are response:

I should say upfront that I am one of administrators of the Power Smart Pricing program. I am also a daily reader of KP. Great work.

As far as savings are concerned, the average savings for our entire customer base is 13% since the beginning of the program in Jan 2007. Over time the savings levels has fluctuated as power prices change, but we’ve had a very good run lately. In 2009 with the wholesale market price for electricity being so low, the average savings for customers has jumped to 27%. Ameren’s flat rates went down a bit in June which has cut into those savings a bit during the summer but since summer power prices haven’t increased as much as in past summers, the numbers continue to look really good. Not paying a risk premium for a flat rate is what’s making the program attractive to customers.

We hear your concerns about the participation fee and do agree is one disincentive to participation. The history of the fee is that the legislation that enabled this program required utilities to spread the costs of it between participants and residential non-participants. Since Ameren doesn’t yet have smart meters, there was a need to figure out how to pay for the interval recording meters that get installed for participants on the program as well as the program administration costs. Absent this program, Ameren charges $5 a month for this type of meter. The $2.25 fee was a negotiated reduction with the rest of the costs being spread out across the residential rate base via a rider (currently about 6 cents a month). Long term we hope that the cost of meters gets dealt with in different ways as AMI/Smart metering plans get determined. If it were a common cost, the incremental cost of this program would be substantially lower

With the mention of fuel pricing, we have unbundled utilities in Illinois that don’t own their own generation but rather procure power for flat rate customers via the Illinois Power Agency (and some legacy contracts from our ill-fated reverse auction). Therefore the fuel price risk isn’t really a factor or concern to the utility.

We also do like automation to help customers, but it of course comes at a price. We’ve been really proud of what our participants do without automation, they have a good elasticity of demand to price. (see: http://www.cntenergy.org/real-time-electricity-pricing.php for the evaluation reports) We are working in areas where internet usage isn’t that high

Our organization is definitely one that centers on environmental policy, but this program has really proven to attract all types of customers. Most are looking to save some money and are not that concerned with energy consumption or its environmental impacts. In fact, most of our customers don’t even use computers on a regular basis. Automation would help to a degree, but our customers have shown that simple price signals have been able to work on their own. See the evaluation reports at: http://www.cntenergy.org/real-time-electricity-pricing.php. Our participants don’t think of themselves as advanced or cutting edge. It’s simply people realizing that variable pricing is a better option for them.

I write our blog over at http://www.powersmartpricing.blogspot.com. Come over and check it out if you want to follow our program a little more. For example, we are particularly excited about our new use of twitter to broadcast prices.

Check out the original Knowledge Problem post here.

And.. the follow up.

PSP In the Danville Commercial-News

2009-08-11T16:51:00.005-05:00

The Commercial-News wrote an article about Power Smart Pricing. There are some informative quotes from Jim Chilsen, CUB Communications Director. The Citizen's Utility Board (CUB) is a watchdog group that advocates consumer protections among a wide range of issues. His attribution to the article is a great source.

One clarification on the article would be to explain that Power Smart Pricing can be great option for many high winter users even some with electric heat. Some Ameren Utility customers have access to a space heat rate that in my cases is a better electricity pricing option than Power Smart Pricing.

However the customers that do not receive this special rate are highly recommended into learning more about Power Smart Pricing. The lowest prices of the year traditionally occur during the cooler fall, winter, and spring months so therefore customers with high winter usage are likely to save on their bills.

Check out the story here.

Any customers from the Danville area interested in writing a letter to the editor to add any additional information about being a customer on the program?

Write a comment to the post or email us at info@cntenergy.org. Thanks!

Get Price Report Texted to Your Phone

2009-08-06T14:36:00.004-05:00

Follow Power Smart Pricing on twitter and set the service to text your phone. Each evening at 6pm you will receive a text message that tells you the low and high price for electricity for the following day. It might be advanced technology, but it's a simple way to lower your bills and help lower peak demand.

For example: Thu, Aug 06: Low @1.3 cents from 3am-4am, High@ 3.6 cents from 3pm-4pm.

Prices this summer have been really low so it can be easy to ignore prices. However you don't want to forget about the RTP Supplier Charge. During your billing period, the hour that has the highest overall system pick gets flagged and your usage during this hour is charged an extra amount. This charge is assessed to all customers (not just Power Smart Pricing accounts), but customers with hourly prices have the ability to lower the amount that they are charged by lowering their electricity usage during these hours.

A higher price for electricity is a good indication that a particular hour could be the system peak for your billing period, but there is not a direct correlation. System peaks generally occur between 2-5pm so the same things you are doing to lower your monthly bills will help you lower your RTP Supplier Charge.

Use twitter to keep up on which hours are most likely to carry the system peak. Again, its easy, and its information that will come straight to your pocket!!!

Follow us at www.twitter.com/powersmart. Sign up for an account if you don't already have one and indicate that you would like to receive our messages on your mobile phone.

All LEED Projects to Provide Performance Data

2009-08-05T10:52:00.004-05:00

Buildings are responsible for around 70% of the energy use in the United States. They also provide opportunities for low cost energy efficiency improvements that can often be paid for in direct energy cost savings in a short period of time. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) sponsors an award called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) that certifies excellence in building design and its performance.

CNT Energy's building has received the highest rating, Platinum, for the reconstruction we did in 2005. Since then we have monitored its performance to make sure it has achieved the goals that it was expected to, and track how our daily use in the building has effected the results. We have done this out of curiosity, and in our belief that performance monitoring and maintenance should be an active part of a certification for LEED buildings.

In the release of the new standards for LEED 2009, the USGBC has declared that certified buildings must report back their energy and water use performance for the first 5 years. This will not only make sure that building operators are achieving the results the building is modeled for, but it will also provide a lot of data so the USGBC can make the best changes to their certification that maximize the designs that have the best results.

A buzz word in the energy efficiency world is the "Snackwell Effect." Like the popular cookie a few years back, it has less calories but the consumers would end up eating more of them and the healthy snack lost its edge. Some families that change their lightbulbs to CFLs have a tendency to leave them on all day because they're energy efficient. Of course, at the end of the month the bill won't look any different. Actively monitoring performance will help the building owners get the most out of their LEED certified investment.

For more information check out this BuildingGreen.com article.

Potential of $1.2 Trillion in Energy Efficiency Savings

2009-07-31T10:50:00.004-05:00

According to a report from McKinsey & Company the US could save $1.2 trillion by 2020 with an investment of $520 billion towards non-transportation energy efficiency. The reduction in energy use would prevent the output of 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. This would be the equivalent of taking all of the passenger vehicles and light trucks off the roads.

A lot of people are fixated on new ways to generate electricity, but this study explores the arguably more reliable solution of new ways to lower the amount of energy we use. In many cases the investment is made in technology that we already have. Whether its weatherizing someone's home, or installing more efficient lighting and windows, the opportunities need expansion and not invention.

Energy efficiency must be treated as a fuel. If the same emphasis was placed on going after the hard to reach fuels throughout the world as it was to lower the energy required to run something, the existing resources we have already employed will become more powerful. If households required half the energy, the utility would require half the power plants (which end up getting paid for by the consumer) to match the demand.

"If we do nothing, we will waste $1.2 trillion of energy," McKinsey partner Ken Ostrowski said. "Over a decade, (the up-front investment) would be $50 billion a year, which is about five times what we invest today. That investment pays back--it's one of the few that generate environmental benefits and economic cost returns."

For more information check out CNET's Green Tech blog.
Read the entire report here (pdf).
Read the executive summary here (pdf).

PSP Updates Twitter Page

2009-07-09T09:32:00.005-05:00

Power Smart Pricing has made some changes to their twitter page. Starting yesterday, each evening at 6pm we will tweet the highest and lowest price for the following day. Think of it just like a weather report giving you a generally sense of what to expect. It is also set up to tweet the price is going to rise above 13 cents as another way to receive your high price notification.

Here's a sample:

Thu, Jul 09: Low @ 1¢ from 2am - 3am, High @ 3.8¢ from 3pm - 4pm

Looks good. Easy to use.

Follow us at http://twitter.com/powersmart

Microsoft Joins the Home Energy Management Fray

2009-07-07T11:33:00.005-05:00

Microsoft has recently unveiled its home energy management online tool called Microsoft Hohm. The tool allows the user to enter data about their home and their energy usage to determine personalized and effective energy savings tips. More information from unique users will enhance results as the site will be able to more effectively match usage patterns and one's home profile with energy savings.

Once you login with a Windows Live ID (an existing account will work) the layout is very easy to manage. Your home profile is very detailed and the site will update how far along you are in the process as you gather your information. If your utility is a partner of Microsoft Hohm, your monthly bills can be automatically uploaded into your site (neither Ameren nor ComEd have joined this partnersip). For everyone else there is a simple place that you can enter your billing information each month. All you need to provide is your billing start and end date and the amount of kwh (for electricity) and therms (for gas) that you have used during that period.

The more information you can provide, and the more people that provide it, the better the service will be for everyone. Considering Microsoft's outstanding legacy and history of getting people to use their products, this is a piece of software worth watching. If more utilities were to partner (as Microsoft is hoping and actively seeking), then the number of users would rise at a fast pace. Currently there are about four utilites that have signed on, mostly in the West Coast.

If you are the type of person that keeps your bills on hand, but never looks at them, then this site might be a good help. As you enter your data, you will be able to examine more detailed charts and graphs that will follow your usage. Given your home profile and your billing data, Microsoft Hohm will estimate what portion of your bills are going to what appliances and behaviors. It will provide the most cost effective solutions, and it will definitely help you save money.

The one negative is that it takes some effort from the consumer. You have to be engaged in energy saving to get the most out of the tool. To continue on the metaphor, they give you the hammer and the nail, but you still have to build the porch. The site is worth checking out. It's on par with some of the management tools out there. Despite not having the capacity to handle variable pricing like Power Smart Pricing, it can still be a service these customers.

Overall, good stuff.

Check out Microsoft Hohm.

U of I at Champaign-Urbana Cutting Energy Use by 10%

2009-06-30T16:07:00.003-05:00

Illinois' flagship campus is ahead of schedule to cut energy usage by 10% this year. The university expects the reduction in usage to save a very significant $5 million in energy costs. Wow...

“We’re heading toward a 10 percent reduction this year, and I don’t think we could have done that without the campus units getting on board,” said Terry Ruprecht, director of energy conservation at Facilities and Services. “Folks out there are doing whatever small things they can do. It really is one of those nifty things where a whole bunch of people are putting their shoulders to the wheel and making it work.”

The University has by no means settled on their accomplishments thus far. Future projects look to continue the trend of using smart investment to lower energy costs. The programs will be able to recoup the retrofit costs with energy savings and through local and federal incentive programs.

For further detail and information check out this Illinois Energy News article.

Sears Tower Plans $350 Million Upgrade

2009-06-25T13:19:00.004-05:00

The tallest building in the United States is getting a $350 million renovation that will ultimately cut its electricity consumption by 80%. The ambitious plans include wind turbines and solar panels for an extra bit of appeal in the public eye. The rest of the savings will be achieved through upgraded efficiency in most everything a building needs to operate.

An improved glass exterior will help maximize the use of natural light while limiting passive solar heating within the office space during hot summer months. The new windows will be accompanied with an improved indoor lighting system to lower the necessary watts to illuminate the office space while insuring that lights are only used when necessary.

The internal systems will also be overhauled. Energy efficient heating and cooling will lower the building's burden on the grid. Alongside these traditional improvements will be a new elevator systems design. This sounds like a small task until you consider that 102 elevators cover the 4.5 million square foot, 110-story building.

This is quite the task for the architects and builders to achieve, but it will be a sterling example of what smart renovation can achieve. A portion of the cost will be covered by its own energy improvements, not to mention a boost in tourism and the upgrade in desirable office space.

For more information:

The Chicago Tribune
The New York Times
Treehugger

Ameren's Energy Saving Toolkit

2009-06-23T15:39:00.003-05:00

Take advantage of Ameren's online tools to help you save on electricity. The Energy Savings Toolkit will provide you with detailed information about your home energy usage. They will even give you an idea of how much you personally could save if you decided to take advantage of energy savings tips.

The ActOnEnergy website is constantly updated with the newest opportunities for Ameren Illinois customers to save on their electricity through conservation, and in some cases you can get rewarded with a credit on your bill.

Keep an eye out for an upcoming e-thermostat program that will allow you to control your household thermostat through the internet. This will give you the most control over your energy usage during a high priced time.

For more from Ameren's energy efficiency programs go to www.ActOnEnergy.com.

U of I Prepares for Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC

2009-06-16T10:33:00.005-05:00

The University of Illinois at Champain-Urbana is set to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. Architecture graduate students are entering the competition with a building that can be heated with the energy it takes to run a hair dryer.

The home follows the Passive House model that has been discussed a few times on this blog (here and here). The goal of this design is to conserve energy and maximize the benefits of passive solar heating, skylights, and a highly energy efficient heating and cooling system.

It has been constructed using renewable materials and salvaging wood from other places like unused barns. Steve Venden of Homeway Homes said the building costs about $130 per square foot, about 10 percent more than its standard modular of that size

A roof will be installed on June 24, followed by solar panels on the south side.

The team plans to have an open house as a fundraising event, perhaps based on a dinner party theme with input from the UI culinary students at the Spice Box in Bevier Hall.

Come October the house will be moved to the National Mall in Washington, DC for the competition.

Here is an article about the team and the competition in The News-Gazette.

Photo credit: Heather Coit, The News-Gazette

Watch the PSP Summer Readiness Workshop

2009-06-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

The 2009 Summer Readiness Workshop presentation is now online for your viewing enjoyment. If you could not attend one of the workshops, this post will fill you a little on the information that we presented. As always, if you have questions from anything you saw here please send us an email info@powersmartpricing.org or a call at 1-877-655-6028.

This May the Power Smart Pricing team hosted workshops to help Illinois households manage their summer electricity costs. The Summer Energy Saving Workshops presented the information you need to enjoy the summer and while keeping your electricity bills under control.

• Tips on managing your summer electricity usage and costs.
• No-cost and low-cost ways to save energy at home.
• How you can protect the environment by using energy efficiently.
• Learn about your electricity pricing options, including strategies for saving energy and money with Power Smart Pricing, an hourly electricity pricing option from the Ameren Illinois Utilities.

2009 PSP Summer Readiness Workshop

View more OpenOffice presentations from mgscallet.

Worldwide Electricity Demand Predicited to Fall

2009-06-03T13:36:00.003-05:00

The International Energy Agency (IEA) this week at a Group of 8 (G8) Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Rome announced its projections that world energy demand would fall by 3.5% in 2009. This marks the first time since 1945, that worldwide electricity demand will be lower than the previous year. Experts attribute this drop to the global recession that has significantly cut manufacturing demand as most of the drop is predicted to occur within the industrial sector.

When considering all the energy related events in the past 65 years, its still quite astounding. Perhaps this is the surest sign that the global economy has become more integrated than ever. Any subsequent economic recovery should parallel a rise in energy demand. For now the lower prices will aide that recovery with lower operating expenses for worldwide industry.

Power Smart Pricing participants have been able to see this trend with lower wholesale market prices for electricity. Unseasonably cool summer temperatures in the upper Midwest along with lower worldwide demand have attributed to lower than normal electricity prices throughout the first half of 2009.

As CNT Energy has carefully examined, Power Smart Pricing participants respond with lower electricity usage when prices rise. So as demand is lower, prices follow, but it should result in more usage, which will help the global recovery. When the price is not directly tied to demand, customers will continue to limit their usage as the price of energy rises as compared to the money coming in. The balance found within a functioning electricity market proves the value of real time pricing.

Comed to Conduct 141,000 Smart Meter Pilot

2009-06-02T13:43:00.004-05:00

Comed filed a petition with the Illinois Commerce Commission to begin work on a 141,000 AMI smart meter pilot program within its Chicagoland service area.

ComEd proposes to install approximately 100,000 meters in a demographicallyvaried, yet operationally manageable, footprint that includes nine towns in its Maywood operating area: Bellwood, Berwyn, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Oak Park, and River Forest. ComEd proposes to install approximately 30,000 AMI meters within the City of Chicago and approximately 10,000 in the City of Elgin.

The pilot will be designed to demonstrate the effect smart meters have on consumers. The goal will be to determine what set circumstances will lead to the greatest energy and cost savings. The results of this year long pilot will help the utility design a possible future deployment of AMI technology to the rest of their 3.1 million consumers.

Other smart meter pilot programs have found that a key contributor to maximizing cost savings is dynamic pricing. Like Power Smart Pricing, this gives consumers a financial incentive to shift their usage. The results of this pilot will certainly be influential around the rest of the state as well as the nation.

More from Earth2Tech on the AMI pilot.

Solar Powered Trash Can Saves Millions

2009-05-28T15:47:00.004-05:00

In other news...

It's great to come across a story that seems so backwards, but in the end it makes complete sense. The image of a trash can with solar panels appears to be the symbol of excess in the name of "green." Enter BigBelly's solar powered trash compactor.

By July, Philadelphia will install 500 of these BigBelly trash cans throughout their downtown neighborhood Center City. Normal trash cans in this area have to be emptied 19 times a week compared to just 5 times with BigBelly. The lower removal rate will allow the city to employ just 8 workers rather than 33. The city insists that these jobs will be retained in other areas.

Richard Kennelly, vice president of marketing for BigBelly Solar, in Needham, Mass, looked through some city numbers, coming up with $12.9 million in savings over 10 years. The savings will quickly pay back the initial $2.2 million price tag for the bins.

It is not a coincidence that something that helps the environment can save a city government money. Efficiency is the tie that bonds these two entities together, and it will happen again and again. While your home may not need a BigBelly can, let this be an example of how to look at the true cost of the things you buy.

More on BigBelly Solar.
Article on BigBelly cans from Philly.com.

Passive House Turns Active

2009-05-26T13:52:00.004-05:00

We previously wrote about an emerging household design in Europe called Passive House design. This concept incorporates a highly insulated building envelope around a home that is carefully sighted to use the sun for winter heat and year round lighting. The new Aktivhaus combines the substantially lower energy requirements with power generators that will enable the house to produce more heat and power than it needs.

The key to these highly insulated homes is their ability to take light and heat from the sun during winter months while blocking the extra heat in the summer. Proper sighting ensures that windows and skylights are oriented towards the south to receive the most sun. Placing simple overhangs over the windows prevents unwanted summer sun from heating your indoor space.

These houses are installed with a simple piece of equipment called a Heat Exchanger that ensures fresh air inside your home. The appliance takes in the fresh outdoor air and exchanges it with the warm indoor air. The heat is transferred to the incoming fresh air which fills your home while the stale indoor air escapes outdoors.

Passive and Active Homes have yet to catch on the United States, but the concepts and innovation of these designs will surely begin to integrate the market wherever possible. These homes are also a great example of the substantial amount of energy proper insulation can save. It would sure be nice to get a credit from the utility each month for the power your home is generating rather than a bill...

More on the Aktivhaus from treehugger.com.
Interactive guide from the New York Times on Passive House Design.

Google Announces Initial PowerMeter Partners

2009-05-22T14:42:00.003-05:00

Google has announced its first PowerMeter partners. They have found 8 utilities representing over 10 million customers from 3 countries and 6 different US states. The utilities will offer Google PowerMeter to their customers. This will allow them to access detailed information on their home energy use through a web portal.

Here are the partners:

- San Diego Gas & Electric® (California)
- TXU Energy (Texas)
- JEA (Florida)
- Reliance Energy (India)
- Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (Wisconsin)
- White River Valley Electric Cooperative (Missouri)
- Toronto Hydro–Electric System Limited (Canada)
- Glasgow EPB (Kentucky)
- Itron (Integration partner)

The Google PowerMeter will assist customers in saving energy and money. Being able to see accurate and current information about their usage will enable customers with the knowledge of how and when to conserve their energy. Google throwing its name into the hat of software developers looking to advance the availability of energy information will certainly help push the limit into what is possible.

Day Ahead vs Real Time Pricing

2009-05-15T16:13:00.003-05:00

Last June, Power Smart Pricing switched from using real time pricing to day ahead pricing. We were very happy with this change because it gave our customers an assurance of the actual price of electricity. Real time pricing can be quite volatile, and it is not uncommon for an occasional hour to show a price that is very atypical.

Yesterday (May 14th) was a great example of this difference. The day featured all the good and bad that real time pricing provides while the day ahead prices were very consistent with the low prices that we have seen over the past few months.

First the good - Between 1am and 3am, Ameren would have literally paid you for using electricity as the real time prices were negative (-0.000890 and -0.075410). Of course this occurred in real time so only those fortunate people who happened to have been running a significant amount of electricity at the time would have benefited.

Now the bad - During the 8pm hour, the price made an unpredictable jump to about 29 cents per kwh. This is roughly 5 times the flat rate, and it far outpaces the day ahead price of 3.8 cents per kwh. Day ahead pricing would never see a jump like this one, and it will never stray from the published price the evening before.

Real time pricing can also show times when the price is lower than the day ahead price which would always be nice to see, but there are certain instances like the price spike that occurred last night that can really cost a consumer money. Day ahead pricing provides the consistent pattern that can be used to ensure that shifting your usage to lower priced times will payoff.

CNT wins MacArthur Award

2009-05-13T14:53:00.002-05:00

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) was recognized today as one of only eight organizations from around the world to receive the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. CNT has pioneered new approaches to urban problems that use resources more efficiently, reduce costs for households and communities, and improve the environment. The award recognizes organizations that are “highly creative and effective, have made an extraordinary impact in their fields and are helping to address some of the world’s most challenging problems.”

“The MacArthur Foundation has a long history of supporting organizations around the world like these that demonstrate the creativity, drive, and vision to make the world more just and peaceful,” said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. “These organizations may be small but their impact is tremendous. From protecting human rights to improving urban neighborhoods to conserving biodiversity, they are blazing new paths and finding fresh solutions to some of our most difficult challenges.”

The Center for Neighborhood Technology is an innovative and creative organization that has maintained a strong focus on sustainability for over 30 years,” said Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. “The new technologies and ideas CNT has developed have kept Illinois at the forefront of green innovation, and this award is a fitting tribute.”

For more continue reading here >>>

What others are saying:

Bruce Katz, Vice President and Director of The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program
“CNT’s role is unique and its impact is pronounced. It has successfully bridged the gap between innovative practice and smart policy on transportation, housing, energy, climate and a host of other domestic policies. This is a well deserved honor for decades of quality, provocative, effective work.”

Adele Simmons, President, Global Philanthropy Partnership
“CNT demonstrates a unique combination of vision, high-quality analysis, and the ability to implement effective programs. Rarely do you find all three in one organization.”

Hank Dittmar, Chief Executive, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment
“Having worked with the Center for Neighborhood Technology for about half of its existence, I can attest that it has been one of the most consistently innovative non profits in the country. CNT’s roots in Chicago region have allowed it to beta test new sustainability tools on the ground that have then gone on to have national and international impact. In this urban century, CNT’s insistent focus on a sustainability rooted in community engagement and place is vital.”

Frank M.Clark, ComEd Chairman and CEO
“CNT is quite deserving of this recognition. Their innovations, including their important work on the nation’s first residential real-time pricing program, will certainly be an ongoing contributor to Exelon 2020, our parent company’s aggressive plan to reduce, offset, or displace more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020.”

For more about the award and the MacArthur Foundation click here.

Whirpool to Make all "Smart" Appliances by 2015

2009-05-07T15:10:00.004-05:00

Today Whirlpool announced that all of its appliances will be able to respond to smart grid signals by 2015. Customers on a real time pricing program can instantly see the benefit for a more integrated household system. Instead of eking out the lowest priced hour yourself, your appliances will be able to do that automatically.

Whirlpool also indicated some of the hurdles and logistical roadblocks that will need to be navigated before this will be possible. Bracken Darrell, president of Whirlpool Europe, and executive vice president of Whirlpool Corporation found two key public-private developments that needed to be addressed:

-- The development by the end of 2010 of an open, global standard for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from a home appliance

-- Appropriate policies that reward consumers, manufacturers and utilities for using and adding these new peak demand reduction capabilities.

This is why, according to Darrell, Whirpool is "going to invite the appliance industry, the utility industry, policymakers, NGOs, and relevant technology companies to come together at the upcoming Copenhagen climate change conference to discuss how we can accelerate the adoption of these new capabilities."

Now you just need all of those people to agree...