Wired Magazine Examines Smart Grid

Wired Magazine featured a story about the solutions to overcome the hurdles of transforming our current electric grid into the smart efficient grid of the magical world of "tomorrow." Online the story features a 7 part slide with "Ways to fix the grid, now."

Despite the skeptics who look at this overhaul as an unnecessary undertaking, the technology to achieve this change is already here and they have been proven. The key to the change will be overcoming current regulatory obstacles and integrating the system of wires and transformers into a more collaborative national network.

The main feature I took from the article, was a well written historical perspective of why and how utilities were formed and how they developed the grid into what it is today. An effective smart grid will bring a wide range of new information and data that developers from the biggest companies to the smallest living rooms can use to create innovative ways to manage our daily energy usage.

Check out the series and article here.

Act On Energy - Home Audits

Ameren's Act On Energy program is now officially offering Home Energy Performance Audits for only $25. Many participants join Power Smart Pricing looking to save money on their electric bills. While shifting your usage to low priced times will help you save, making cost effective home improvements can ensure additional savings.

The advice the "trained Energy Advisor" will give and recommend will surely surpass the $25 initial fee. On top of that, some homes will be eligible to receive some energy efficient products.

To qualify for an audit, you will have to be an Ameren customer, your home must have been built before 1975, your bills average out to over $300, and you must be willing to spend some money for energy efficiency improvements.

Follow this link to begin!
http://www.actonenergy.com/home-home-energy-audits.asp

PSP in the Herald & Review

Here is a well written review of Power Smart Pricing by Tony Reid of the Herald & Review. He has covered our program before, and this article updates his readership about the positive steps we have taken.

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2009/03/23/money/1040046.txt

A Note About PSP Savings

Most of the Power Smart Pricing participants received their 2008 savings report in the mail yesterday. For a quick overview, our participants have saved an average of 10% off of the standard residential rate (BGS-1) with PSP since the beginning of the program in 2007.

We got a few calls from people who were a little disappointed in their results. Most of these calls were from households that started on the rate in May or June. The most difficult time to save on the program is throughout the summer when air conditioning usage drives up the price for electricity. When cooler temperatures come through in the fall, winter, and spring, the average real time price will also drop.

During these non-summer months, participants generally save between 20 and 30 percent off their bills. Therefore if you started the program in May or June, you may not have had enough of the discounted months to see the savings you were expecting. Please be patient, and remember you can give us a call at 1-877-655-6028 to get the most up to date savings information for your account.

Advanced Batteries

As the nation's energy supply is shifting towards the wider distribution of electricity, storage has become a significant hurdle that researchers and manufacturers are looking to turn from a negative to a positive. Plug-in cars and renewable energy sources are becoming a catalyst for new technology that is traditionally relied upon by NASA and the US military for advancement. General Electric, General Motors, and other large US companies have added the dimension of the necessary requirement for any new technology to be manufactured on a large scale.

In the past, advancing battery technology meant that it was made cheaper, and it could last longer on one charge. Now the game has changed, and innovators have been asked to add the dimension of a quick and efficient recharge. Of course this has been part of the research for years, but it has now become an opportunity for considerable return of investment.

Researchers are also being asked to figure out the best way to store a lot of energy without the restriction of size. Expansion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power is changing the needs of electricity generators. Renewable power plants need to store power so the electricity can be supplied to homes even when the wind is not blowing, and the sun is not shining. This area of research has seen some of the most creative solutions for storing energy.

The next era of batteries will undoubtedly have a complicated acronym, but its composition is to be determined. As our homes and cars are converting to a larger reliance on electrical energy, battery advancement will need to keep up. Soon the technology will trickle down to our smaller devices and gadgets. Cell phones, cameras, and laptops are the direct beneficiaries of this push from the top.

Over the next few years, do not undervalue the importance of the advanced battery research as they will need to hold more power, recharge faster, last longer, and weigh less. Your next car might just rely on it.