Comments on: Are consumers ready for the smart grid?

Smart meters and in-home energy displays are trickling out into people's homes. But there's still some question whether the technology is consumer-friendly enough.

[mld678]

To compete in a tough global economy, and contribute to a sound environment, one of the most vital elements will be increased efficiency. Over the last 25 years, the U.S. economy has grown 110%, but energy consumption has grown by only 24%. Advocate for the operation of renewable energy projects, for all of our sake.
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[n3td3v]

I don't think security is ready for the smart grid.

[rmasu]

PEPCO, the electric utility company for Maryland and DC, had a program called Kilowatchers years ago that could remotely, via a radio signal, turn off your AC for up to 15 minutes during peak load periods. I thought this was a great idea. You hardly noticed the effect. Yet, for some reason, they canceled it claiming it didn't produce any benefit. Here we are 10 years later saying we need it.

I think turning off the AC to level the load is a great idea but I'm very skeptical for the other appliances. All my appliances are gas. If you have an electric dryer do you really want to toss in your clothes not knowing how long it will take to dry them? I think for many appliance the benefits are too small to be worthwhile. Much of the hype for a "smart grid" is coming form those companies that can make a buck.

What we need are real efficiency improvements and smart appliances that quickly enter standby modes to save power. My COMCAST DVR uses 46 Watts when turned on and still uses 45 Watts when "off". It's appliances like this that are causing waste in our electric grid.

[hutwarmer]

Can someone please explain this to me?

"Half of the respondents in the U.S. and over one-third in the U.K. said they would be willing to pay a higher monthly rate if they were able to cut overall energy costs by 15 percent."

If I am paying a higher monthly rate, how am I cutting my overall costs by 15%? Unfortunately, that sentence says what all this smart grid nonsense is really about. Energy companies increasing their revenues. Thanks but no thanks.

[pmfjoe]

Thats how I feel, I think this is just a scam to charge me more money because I am running my dryer at 8am on Sunday and not at 2am on Wednesday.

[RMarch]

I had to read this sentece twice. What they mean is that the rate per kilowatt for example would be higher, but the smart grid technology would make you use less. So for example:

So for example if I normally pay $100 per month for 100 units of energy, in the alternative I would pay $85 per month for 70 units of energy. SmartGrid technology would in theory allow me to use 30 less units per month without it being very noticable to my normal usage patterns. Again, in theory this is nice as I save money, hlp the environment by using less energy and the utility can use the increase in rate to cover the investment in smartgrid.

The question is getting it to work in practice.

[RMarch]

It is certainly not a scam, but it is critical that appliances are made more energy efficient and not just smart grid aware. A new dryer that is 50% more efficient than an old energy wasting space heater of a dryer will brng far more benefit than the smartgrid aware tech alone.

[jaguar717]

I'm guessing it works something like cap-and-tax.

"If people are free to make their own decisions in an open market, energy costs could increase down the road. So let's tax the crap out of anything that uses energy, artificially force the prices to skyrocket, and then they won't be able to afford it so they'll use less. Problem solved!"

[saintseminole]

"the rules on data collection aren't fully flushed out"
(Probably meant "fleshed out"? It makes more sense.)

I say bring on the "smart grid." As long as the appliances at home have a switch giving the customer control of the information he/she sends in, then there is no privacy concern. Have the switch set to "off" by default. If I want to participate and I'm not worried about sending in information, I turn it on.

What's really sad is that we *need* a smart grid. For many years, people have known which major appliances run up the electric bill - AC, oven, water heater, etc. In most homes, you can step outside and watch the meter spin crazily when one of these power-hogs kicks in. So we already know how to save electricity; we simply don't do it.

[power_rabbitt]

seems like squeezing the last drop out of a lemon. Why not plant a lemon tree. Why not add renewal energy to the grid with small energy farms and let consumers opt for a percentage of their power bills to be for renewables. Maybe its time to get back to farming; energy farming and a "just use less" attitude.

[rmasu]

We need to approach this from both ends: increase efficiency and increase production. As far as the production end goes, nuclear energy is the only choice that can increase _baseload_ capacity without increasing CO2 emissions. Even Parick Moore the founder of Geenpeace thinks this is the right approach. Solar and wind have their advantages but they can never supply electricity reliably enough.

[HeavyJim]

If Patrick moore and his greenpeace ilk want to cut CO2 emissions, tell them to quit cruising the world in those old oil burning converted ice breakers they use.

[cp256]

I'm not interested in giving any more "power" to either the government or utilities. Sell it to me on my terms or I'll find some other way to obtain it. This is about control, not efficiency. This is about being able to penalize you if some government d.o.u.c.h.e bag decides that you aren't "conforming" to their view of the world. It's fine with me if you want to be sheeple, but stay the frick away from me and my property.

[Spartan_458]

Yeah, I'd rather not have the government tell me what electricity I can use based on some crackpot scam ("global warming"). They already will be able to tell me what car I have to buy and will soon be able to tell me what healthcare I have to have. How do you people not see this? I don't want to be a brainwashed government slave. Why is everyone else content to do so?

[bball_purist]

The smart grid is just a matter of time, no pun intended.

However, I'd like Smartgrid or Spellcheck to teach the author that clothes drier is actually spelled "dryer" like all of the posters also know - c'mon, Smartgrid, do your thing!

[Magallanes]

i will pay a bit more for a green energy but not for the same energy but more "smart".

[HeavyJim]

Problem is you are not going to pay a bit more, you are going to pay ALOT more.

[martin_c_e]

The smart grid is the way to raise YOUR electric bill. Variable rate pricing is the aim of the smart grid. It is all about getting into your wallet claiming environmental reasoning. The whole idea is nonsense.

[SDRebel_007]

If the extra cost is truly only 10 bucks, then it can take off, if that 10 bucks becomes hundreds, then forget about it.

[dwimmer38]

Umm, I say build more power plants if we need them. Green schmeen. You sheeple probably already own a lot of ocean view property in Nebraska.

[maweiner]

Valid concerns, given Martin's article here. But I think many are missing the point -- the goal for utilities with Smart Grids isn't to get more revenue from raising rates to consumers.

It's to minimize building new power plants, and manage how much power is consumed during peak periods. Net-net: they want to invest less in major capital projects for energy creation, and manage more steady energy demands. That's the $$ incentive, not higher rates to consumers to drive profits.

[mrzang]

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