Microsoft Hohm’s First Gadget

Here at the Power Smart Pricing Blog as well as through the office phone lines, we get a lot of questions about energy monitoring devices. In the past, CNT Energy offered its participants the Price Light. Despite some of their technological shortcomings (like signal strength), the Price Light was able to help people save money simply by changing color. Now some big names in technology with deep pockets have begun developing new devices, software and partnerships ushering in the next era in home energy monitoring.

The most recent unveiling belongs to Microsoft with their gadget partner Blue Line Innovations. The gadget bundle includes a sensor, in home monitor and WiFi Gateway. It allows you to view your home's energy usage in near real-time on the monitor and the data is compatible with the Microsoft Hohm website.

Early reviews from around the Internet have said that installation is easy. Earth2Tech blogger Kevin Tofel says that "Installing the sensor took me about 15 minutes and was quite simple using the included instructions." At Engadget, a popular gadget and technology blog, they wrote that "Installation is easy -- well, relatively easy at least, compared to the circuit breaker dissection required when we tested out the TED 5000 last year. Unlike then we never felt that our life was at risk, nor did we consider spending the money to call an electrician."

So now that you know its easy... you know about Microsoft Hohm, the real questions on everyone's mind are "How much is it?" and "Does it work with Day-Ahead pricing?"

The entire bundles costs $250 and if you already have wireless Internet set up your home it will be compatible out-of-the-box. This is pretty fair price, and an argument can be made that this device will save you some money and pay you back for the initial cost. Also, if you haven't toured Microsoft Hohm's website, its goal is to give you personalized energy efficiency and conservation tips based on home's profile and energy usage. Overall, a great package deal. You can even buy it right now!

The one bit a caution with the product is that I am not convinced it will work with hourly pricing. It is compatible with a Time-of-Use rates that change a couple times a day, but there is no indication that it can handle something more complicated. The information like real-time energy usage will still be very useful, but it may not be able to  We would love to get a report back from anyone who tries it. 

More info from BlueLine Innovation can be found here.

Also be sure to check out Microsoft Hohm.

From Earth2Tech - REVIEW: Microsoft Hohm’s First Gadget

From Engadget - Microsoft partners with Blue Line Innovation for Hohm-compatible monitoring device, we go hands-on

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.

Ameren Customers Get Rebates on ENERGYSTAR Products

If you're interested in upgrading some home appliances, Ameren's Act On Energy program can provide you rebates on energy efficient products. This is a great way to double your ways to save.

Room Air Conditioner Units - $35 RebateAn ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioner (A/C) unit will use at least 10 percent less energy than conventional models…more

Ceiling Fans with Built-in Lighting and Ceiling Fan Light Kits - $20 RebateENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fans are always equipped with a reverse mode that allows the fan to spin in two directions…more

Dehumidifiers - $25 RebateENERGY STAR qualified dehumidifiers remove the same amount of moisture as conventional models but use 10 to 20 percent less energy…more

After you have made your purchase, attach the receipt and your Ameren electric bill to the appropriate rebate form below.

Online Rebate Forms
Follow the links below to view and print the rebate form(s) you need.
Room Air Conditioner Rebate Form
Dehumidifier Rebate Form
Ceiling Fan with Built-in Lighting or Ceiling Fan Light Kit Rebate Form

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).