How to Compare Savings with Power Smart Pricing

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).

October is Energy Awareness Month

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.

New PSP Pricing Gadgets

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

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.

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

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

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

Free E-Smart Thermostat Coverage is Expanding

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

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

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!

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.

Top 5 Energy Display Devices Coming to CES 2010

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...

What if we all had RTP?

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.

GE Introduces First "Smart Appliance"

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)

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.

Home Energy Saving is Relaxing, Stylish and Tasty

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?

Weighing in on Smart Grid Stimulus

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

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).

Does the Smart Grid Need "Smart" Consumers?

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."

Google PowerMeter Annouces Partnership with TED

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.

GE Continues Smart Grid Push

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.