How much is your home costing you?

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)