‘Smart’ Electric Utility Meters, Intended to Create Savings, Instead Prompt Revolt

Courtesy of Caitlin Calahan:

“Millions of households across America are taking a first step into the world of the “smart grid,” as their power companies install meters that can tell them how much electricity they are using hour by hour — and sometimes, appliance by appliance. But not everyone is happy about it.”

Smart meters are part of the smart grid which is a system that delivers “electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to control appliances at consumers' homes to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency.”

These meters will allow households to see the price for the energy they are using per hour and its fluctuating rates in the market at different times of the day. They are aimed at saving consumers money. The meters will also aid in the incorporation of new energy sources such as wind, water, and solar energy. Consumers can save money by turning off utilities during peak periods of the day, ultimately saving them money because when less people demand electricity fewer plants will need to be operating, thus lowering costs.

The idea of these meters sounds good, but many people in California are unhappy and believe they are being charged at higher rates than based on their actual usage. For example, “at one (hearing) in Fresno, Calif., Leo Margosian, a retired investigator, testified that the new meter logged the consumption of his two-bedroom townhouse at 791 kilowatt-hours in July, up from 236 a year earlier. And he had recently insulated his attic and installed new windows, Mr. Margosian said.”

Benefits are expected to occur at the second and third stages after the cost of transition. But with our current recession, more people are worried to spend their money on a smart meter now if returns will not occur for some period of time.

Investing in energy resources, research and new ways to save energy such as smart grid is important for not only our country, but the world. Saving energy can lead to less pollution by power plants and homes and indirectly helps keep the atmosphere cleaner and our hydrosphere safer.

“But today, reining in energy consumption is less of a corporate priority: generating capacity is in surplus in almost all parts of the United States because the recession has shuttered so many factories. And in swaths of the eastern United States, the wholesale price difference between peak and off-peak demand is far smaller lately.”

Although smart grid and other programs are aimed to save energy and reduce costs, many homes and businesses are not buying due to the recession and current low prices. On a positive note, “among residential customers who volunteered for a test program (for smart meters) in California last summer, 70 percent saved money and 97 percent said they were satisfied with the program and wanted to stay in it, Mr. Tang of PG&E said.” Progress is being made which will only benefit our atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14meters.html?_r=1&ref=science (article)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid