smart meters posts, articles, and infographics

Utilities need to offer innovative energy services or risk being sidelined

May 14, 2012 by Tom Raftery
with 137 views

The EU has mandated a rollout of smart meters to at least 80% of households by 2020. What are some of the transformative ways we will we use the extra energy consumption information these meters will bring? [read more]

Smart Meter Opt Out Options Grow In California

April 20, 2012 by Nino Marchetti
with 320 views

More California residents wanting to opt out of smart meters were given their chance today as the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) approved such choices for Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) customers. Like with Pacific Gas and Electronic (PG&E) customers earlier this year... [read more]

China’s Smart-Grid Play: Ready To Take Off?

April 13, 2012 by Nino Marchetti
with 196 views

China is the world’s largest electricity consumer, and growing fast. That’s motivating the country’s embrace of renewable energy production, but the focus apparently isn’t only on the production side: According to a new report from the research firm Zpryme, investments over the next several years could help catapult the country to... [read more]

One Small Button for Man, One Giant Leap for Data Access

March 23, 2012 by Jason Hartke
with 182 views

Today the White House launched the Green Button Initiative, which connects more than 15 million Americans with their utility providers for streamlined access to their energy data. Nine utilities and electricity suppliers initially signed up for this landmark program designed to enable consumers to put their energy consumption into their... [read more]

Charting Smartgrid's Macro Trends

October 6, 2011 by Amelia Timbers
with 353 views

This is my final post from the now concluded Gridweek 2011.Anto Budiardjo, a TEC blogger, is the CEO of Clasma Events, which puts on the United States’ key trio of smartgrid events: Gridweek, Connectivity Week, Grid-Interop and next year, Gridweek Asia. Budiardjo has been in smartgrid since the dawn of the industry, moving into it... [read more]

The Trouble With Air-Conditioners

September 28, 2011 by Scott Edward Anderson
with 740 views

Demand response is a topic that can easily bring a sleepy man to dreamland.So it was with some trepidation that I attended the New York Academy of Sciences' "Market Makers: Developing and Deploying Energy Efficiency Technology in NYC" event, part of Climate Week.I was glad I did. Perhaps it's his "down under" accent or comedian's... [read more]

Gridweek 2011: Should We Send Utility Customers To Smartgrid School?

September 21, 2011 by Amelia Timbers
with 281 views

This is the first of three posts I am finishing up from my trip to Gridweek last week. Gridweek is one of three smartgrid conferences put together by Clasma, whose own Anto Budiardjo is a TEC blogger. As you will hear more about in my upcoming posts, the mettle of the smartgrid community is being tested by the expiration of the stimulus act; by setbacks in the utility rollout process and –to a surprising degree- by customer rejection. Many utilities’ customers don’t like the idea of having a utility know so much about their power usage, and thus be able to make inferences about their lifestyle. Consumers also irrationally fear radio waves’ harm to health, and then change generally. Even the change of one electric meter for another. [read more]

My Master Metered Condo and Its Energy Priorities

August 31, 2011 by A Siegel
with 306 views

This is a guest post by J. Siegel.The over 40-year-old condo building my husband and I bought into has lots of plusses ….A spacious and sunny apartment (perfect for an indoor herb garden)A short walk to a Metro station and a walk to a range of shopping (from great bagels to a grocery store, to 100s of stores)An outdoor... [read more]

The Real Concern about Smart Meters

August 18, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 1,248 views

Smart meters can be positively transformative for consumers to control their use of electricity. But there are concerns about them that are threatening to slow down deployments in some areas. That has ramifications to Smart Grid plans everywhere. The three categories of concerns about smart meters are: meter... [read more]

Guarding the Grid

August 17, 2011 by Silvio Marcacci
with 236 views

In 2003, an overheated power line near Cleveland, Ohio sagged into a tree and shorted out. It started a cascade of power line failures across the Midwest, Northeast and parts of Canada, and causing the worst blackout in U.S. history. Since then, utilities and grid operators have used new technology and procedures to prevent another major blackout – but can they compete with an aging grid and estimated $1 trillion in required new investment? [read more]

Utilities Must Improve Their Messages to Communicate the Benefits of Smart Meters

June 28, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 400 views

Utilities have a real challenge in succinctly communicating the benefits of smart meters. Some benefits are not easily distilled into sound-bites. However, utilities must improve their outreach to consumers to ensure that consumers understand the role of smart meters in helping them save money; helping utilities keep... [read more]

Electricity Consumers: You're Fired!

March 12, 2011 by James Greenberger
with 831 views

It is time that we recognize the retail electricity consumer for the public menace that he is. The retail electricity consumer is incorrigible. In dealing with demand side management of consumer electricity purchases, we need less Ivan Pavlov and more Donald Trump. It's time to fire the consumer. [read more]

Smart Energy Investment and the Smart Grid

January 23, 2011 by James Greenberger
with 1,545 views

By Невідомий (Інтернет) [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons

Next Tuesday in his State of the Union address, President Obama will call for increased government investment in infrastructure, education and research. But before the U.S. Treasury starts writing checks, there is much to be learned from the experience of the last two years. Federal dollars for energy infrastructure really are limited and must be spent wisely and strategically. Federal investment in energy infrastructure must be driven by rational, cost-effective and attainable goals, not by sound bites and special interests. Smart Grid investments are a case in point. [read more]

Tech tools for cutting home energy costs

October 11, 2010 by Joseph Romm
with 562 views

Anne Rashford, director of temporary exhibits at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, is seen inside the SmartHome exhibit where a monitor displays the energy and water usage of the home (in an AP photo). More gadgets and gizmos are entering the market that let consumers track their power use. You know the drill. Turn off lights... [read more]

Smart meters are here…. Get over it

October 8, 2010 by Tyler Hamilton
with 600 views

My Clean Break column, which now appears Friday in the Toronto Star, questions whether we have the capacity as a society to invest in long-term infrastructure transitions that don’t bear fruit right away. The knee-jerk reaction by some in Ontario (and other jurisdictions) to smart meters and time-of-using pricing is unfortunate... [read more]