GE's Smart Appliances

As plans are being drawn up to overhaul the electric grid with smart meters, some private companies are making their plans to keep up. General Electric announced that in the first quarter of next year the company will introduce a new line of appliances that can be controlled remotely. The company is developing smart refrigerators, ranges, washers and dryers, dishwashers and microwave ovens, and will start a pilot program in Louisville KY with Louisville Gas and Electric Company.

Utility companies across the nation have been looking for ways to lower peak demand, and some began that process by implementing real-time pricing programs like Power Smart Pricing (but not as great!!!). The high demand periods throughout the year have a great influence over electricity prices.

The improved appliances would be able to be controlled by utility companies to shift into an energy saving mode that would not have much affect on the consumer. For example, a freezer could be able to delay its automatic defrost function during peak hours. The change in wattage would be small, but overall the utility would be able to make similar changes throughout the service area on a wide range of appliances.

This integration will invite new innovation that will have the ability to fundamentally change the way we use electricity. New enterprises will spring up emulating the chances GE is beginning to take. For now, innovation comes in the form of Power Smart Pricing. Our participants constantly tell us that because of the way they are billed, the way they now think about their usage, they are using less. There is a lot of money for our households to save, and we must continue to support these endeavors alongside Ameren, and other utilities raising money for smart meters, and private companies looking to improve the appliances we use.

Monticello School District Recognized as Top Energy Saver

Monticello, IL is home to one of the top 25 energy efficient high schools in the nation. The school district partnered with Johnson Controls to help guide them through energy efficiency improvements to its buildings. The schools were suffering from various problems including aging equipment, poor indoor air quality, varying temperature levels, and out-of-date lighting systems.

Johnson Controls guaranteed $3.86 million in energy and operational savings over the following 10 years. This agreement allowed the school district to pay for some of the facility improvements with savings it gained from the energy-efficient upgrades. According to Superintendent Mike Reeves, “Natural gas prices wrecked some school districts, but it didn’t wreck us. Ten years ago… it would have been devastating.”

The amount of savings achieved through smart investments is incredible. Many school systems throughout the country are suffering from strained budgets that have forced cutting teachers, extra-curricular activities, and afterschool programs. The Monticello School District has found away to ease the need to cut jobs by cutting their energy costs.

Via EnergyStar.gov

Google: Don't be tricked, treat yourself to savings

Google has long been at the forefront of the movement for energy efficiency and affordable renewable energy sources. During this Halloween holiday season, they have developed an energy savings calculator that warns households of the ghosts, vampires, monsters, zombies, and demons that are tricking their way into your electric bill. The calculator advises people to take a few simple steps like turning off your game console or closing the chimney flute and it adds up your potential cost savings as well as your reduced pounds of carbon emissions. Follow the link below for the calculator:

http://www.google.com/hauntedhouse08/index.html
Official Google Blog: Is your house haunted by high energy prices?

The Fifth Fuel and Negawatts

When it comes to energy costs, energy efficiency is the less glamorous, more cost effective, easiest solution to implement. Sometimes referred to as the fifth fuel alongside oil, natural gas, nuclear power, and renewables, it is often overlooked. Its importance has risen about as fast as energy costs. Environmentalists, economists, and homeowners can all support this push as the only byproduct is wealth. A successful push for energy efficiency would drive down consumption which would theoretically lower prices. Experts coined a term for the lower consumption as “negawatts.” Fancy definitions, titles, and technology breakthroughs are important, but the homeowner must be equipped with the finest resources to make educated decisions on how to use this exploding field of energy efficiency to actually lower their bills. CNT Energy hopes to bridge this gap. Real-time pricing programs help maintain system energy efficiency. When residences lower their consumption during high peak, high demand times, it reduces the necessity for electricity generators to turn on more power plants. On occasion the additional plants are forced to produce far more electricity than they will use so they can respond to the need of the consumer. It is amazing that by simply changing the way your home is charged for electricity you can have a positive impact on the energy efficiency system wide.

Net Metering

Earlier this year, Net Metering for small (2,000 kW and below) renewable (solar PV, wind etc.) electricity generating sources was legislated and put in place by the utilities.

In Ameren, the rules are generally as follows:

A flat rate customer with an electricity generator will get billed for the amount of electricity their household used minus the amount it produced. If they generated more power than they used then they will receive a credit in their account for future bills. Your account will keep the credits from month to month until they are used up, or if you reach the end of the year (defined as April-April or October-October).

Customers with hourly prices (such as Power Smart Pricing customers) are billed under a similar standard. The difference is that each hour is used as either a credit or a charge based on the rate for electricity that particular hour. These hourly energy charges and credits get added up over the month and result in either a net dollar amount energy charge or dollar energy credit for that month. Any leftover credit will be used on other parts of that bill (taxes, monthly customer charge, etc). If there is still a dollar amount credit left, it rolls over to the next month's bill. By the end of the year any leftover credit is forfeited.

Here is a handy device that will help your household keep track of the performance of your solar PV system: