In other news... CES 2009

The International Consumer Electronics Show kicked off last night in Las Vegas. This is the premier event for everything electronic. It's a lot like a car show with new models and concepts that will be hitting the market, or at least stirring interest, over the next year. 

As the energy movement is hitting full stride, this year's event promises to show off a lot of exciting advancements related to energy efficiency in our homes. I will be posting all the news and notes about the products on display that will change the way we use electricity.

Smart homes and meters will undoubtably be a topic, but first I want to start off with a goofy toy. 

Owikits 6-in-1 Solar Toy Building Kit

This is a 21 piece toy set that can be made into six different objects. It includes everything from an airboat to a car to a walking puppy. Best of all the kit ranges from only $15 -$20. This is a great way to get kids involved early with the potential of renewable energy. However, for now it just looks like fun. 

For more from Owikits check out their website. 

I found this story via Inhabitat.

TIME Magazine Cover Story on Energy Efficiency

Today I read an interesting article by Michael Grunwald in TIME magazine about energy efficiency. He discusses how it is the first step into solving our country’s energy issues.

“A nationwide push to save ‘negawatts’ instead of building more megawatts could help reverse our unsustainable increases in energy-hogging.” (Note the use of “negawatts” of PSP Blog fame.)

The key to energy efficiency, Grunwald points out, is to not necessarily use less, but to get the same or more energy out of less. In fact, “the Alliance to Save Energy calculates that without the efficiency gains we we’ve made since the last energy crises in 1973, our economy would use nearly 50% more energy today. That’s more than we get from oil, twice what we get from coal or natural gas, and six times what we get from nuclear plants.”

Grunwald goes on to discuss the current roles of Big Business, electric utilities, and the government towards better energy efficiency standards. He comes close, but does not mention the effort of certain residential electric customers in Illinois who lower their usage during peak times.

Here’s the full article.

TV Energy Efficiency Regulation in CA

Today the LA Times is reporting that California state regulators are drafting the nation’s first rules requiring retailers to sell only the most energy efficient models, starting in 2011.

The California Energy Commission is looking for ways to relieve the strain on the power grid. Officials claim the potential energy savings would equal the annual energy consumption of 86,400 homes. Televisions currently account for about 10% of the average Californian’s household electricity bill.

The Consumer Electronics Association is concerned that the standards will have a negative impact on the television industry especially if the standards could not be met in time. Energy Commission member Arthur Rosenfeld noted that 87% of current stock complies with the planned 2011 threshold, and that the deadline could get pushed back if the industry needs a little more time “to get used to the standards,” he said.

Although the regulations would not directly affect Illinois, the television manufacturers would be forced to weigh the added costs of producing one kind of TV for CA and another for everyone else. The consumer population of California may be large enough to push the industry toward a more energy efficient future.


For more check out the LA Times article here.

NRDC's The Green Squad

The National Resource Defense Council is the one of the nation's most effective environmental action organizations. They developed an interactive guide for kids to look for ways to improve their schools. It is similar to CNT Energy’s Energy Savers program that performs multi-family residential building audits in the Chicago area. However, this puts the tools in the hands of the students.

The Green Squad teaches kids about the relationship between their schools and environmental and health issues. The site is designed primarily for students in fifth through eighth grade, but also offers information for younger and older students as well as parents and teachers.

The Green Squad

More PSP on Facebook

Our Facebook group is getting underway. The numbers are growing slightly, but growing is the important part. We really want to encourage you to sign up because it will be a great way to learn more about the program from fellow participants.

The first discussion about the program was about Precooling. Now that its about zero degrees outside, this isn't the most seasonal article.

Zuzu asked: So I am up to renew my PSP in Feb , but I'm not sure if I want to because of how much more I spend in the summer... why should I keep it?

and Kristy responded: Best thing to do in Summer is to super cool down the house at night until about 10:00 am while power is really cheap and then gradually let it get a bit warmer during the day. We've done great in the summers by doing that. Also, it makes for a comfortable sleeping temp.


One of the "discoveries" that many of our participants made this past summer was with Precooling. It's an idea that has been really effective for some families, and it is a great method to keep costs down during hot summer afternoons.

Reading about it on facebook allowed our facebook administrator to see the comments and post a link to our fact sheet on precooling. Now we can provide all the extra little tidbits of information that we have learned about Power Smart Pricing.

We strongly believe that Facebook and the PSP blog can be a great resource for us to communicate with you and for you with each other.

Link to the Facebook group

Link to the Precooling factsheet