Smart Meters - more wasteful spending on technology that won't work. I can do better.

[red-beard]

Money was tight this year, but my plan for Solar heating is pool heating. It will extend my season by at least 2 months.

[ErVikingo]

Big brother..... sounds like the tax per mile proposal....

I agree, use the $ to effect end user changes.

[MotoSook]

Originally Posted by RWebb

BGE = Baltimore Gas & Elec.

Don't you think someone who is asking the government for millions of dollars would use the best data set to make his point?

Without the full data set or the full study to review, no one should accept that quote at face value. A 37% reduction would mean that the average customer was spending over $350/month on their electric bill during the hot months. That is an average, imagine what the top users were paying.

A household that is paying over $350/mo obviously has lots of opportunity to conserve. Just because the consumer is ignorant, does not mean we have to throw $3.4 billion at the problem! If someone is paying $500/mo for electricity, they need to review their needs and habits! Should it take a $3.4 billion dollar government program to tell that homeowner to wake up?

How much would it cost to create an education program and provide worth while incentives for home owners to conserve and get rid of their 20 year old refrigerator and washers?

How much of that $3.4 billion can actually be considered effective at the end user level? Under the current proposal, there is little technical advantage for the end user.

Better metering and better grid management/maintenance? Yes, of course! But that is the power companies' responsibility not the tax payers. (refer back to my earlier posts about how to manage the upgrade while spending Federal money more wisely) What corporation wouldn't want a Federal grant to augment their upgrades?

No one here is denying the advantages of a more efficient home. No one here is denying there are costs associated with making their home more efficient.


As for the effectiveness of solar and wind at the end user level - How can someone state that there is no advantage to a solar home. Every little bit helps. The problem is that it isn't cheap to do this, and the tax incentive isn't great right. So why not create better incentives with Federal dollars? The current energy efficiency programs we have now are not good enough for people to really want to spend some of their own money.


Here's a link to PG&E's web page:

Why Go Solar

[azasadny]

DTE Energy SmartCurrents Program awarded $84 million DOE grant. Our company yesterday announced it has been awarded a nearly $84 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant that will allow it to move forward with our SmartCurrents program, which will provide customers with improved electric service reliability, the distribution of smart appliances and ways to control and reduce energy consumption and costs.
The DOE funding through the federal economic stimulus program will be matched by us and our technology partners, bringing the total investment to accelerate the program to nearly $170 million.
"We're extremely enthusiastic about our ability to offer the SmartCurrents program to our customers with the help of the DOE grant," said Chairman and CEO Tony Earley. "We're grateful to the DOE for recognizing the importance of our program. In addition, we commend Gov. Granholm, the Michigan Public Service Commission and the numerous legislators who endorsed this technology and grant during the application review process and for working to bring these dollars to Michigan."

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Money was tight this year, but my plan for Solar heating is pool heating. It will extend my season by at least 2 months.

I did that last year.
20' by 12' of solar heating panels bought on e-bay, installed myself. Total cost was under a grand.

[MotoSook]

The Smart Currents program is no different that what we have discussed before.

Industry partner matching of $85 million = somewhere there is profit to offset the contribution and generate return.

Meter companies will generate millions of dollars from the sales of meters for home gas and electric meters.

Utility company programs directed at upgrading the homeowner's appliance for a more efficient appliance are a step in the right direction, but one has to ask if the appliance is free, and who's paying for it? The power company is not simply passing on Federal dollars to the homeonwer without any cost.

The big selling point from the consumer's perspective for smart metering is to point out when they are consuming energy unwisely. This can be had for minimal cost and in some cases free!