Smart Power Grid Experiment

Posted on January 16, 2008 by Joyce Benson   Add a Comment |
Tag(s): Energy, Going Green, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming, Money Saving

An interesting experiment took place in 112 homes on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula from December 2005 until early 2007. It involved smart home energy systems that could respond to changing prices of electricity due to demand on the grid. During times of peak demand and high energy prices, the systems would automatically reduce electricity consumption in each home and provide homeowners with a bonus of reduced power bills.

According to an article at Yahoo! News, “It smoothed power peaks, reduced the need for expensive new power plants, and cut the chances of a blackout.” Not to mention the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional electricity generation.

Homeowners did have the capability of overriding the system if needed.

I would probably be willing to have such a system installed in my own home when/if it becomes commercially available. Along those lines, I have owned a home with an efficient off-peak meter, which I found to be only slightly inconvenient. The dishwasher, clothes dryer, water heater, and pool were hooked up to it and would only run during set off-peak time frames. I highly recommend them for any homeowner who wants to reap lower utility bills from increased energy conservation.

Of course, you could go one step further and install a solar-powered hot water heater, hang clothes outside to dry, and replace an old dishwasher with a water-conserving and energy-saving Energy Star rated one.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

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