On the North Texas horizon, the smart grid

The "smart grid", which utilizes digital technology to meter electrical usage for both utility companies and consumers, is headed to north Texas. The real question is: how soon?  Even though, just last week the area's major utility player, Oncor, announced it was denied it's request for any smart grid stimulus funds, it is still on their drawing board. And why shouldn't it be? It's on all the utility company drawing boards around the country. The ability to utilize technology to conserve energy use is a very wise tool to have in these times of escalating oil prices.   

Utility companies aren't the only ones with plans on the drawing board. Just this week Whirlpool announced it has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for their smart grid program. Whirlpool plans to manufacture appliances that can connect to the smart grid and deliver energy usage data. Not only will the utility company know when and how much energy your dryer is consuming, you will know as well.

The are two main concepts behind the smart grid: One is to reduce consumer usage by giving them the ability to monitor which specific appliances suck up the most juice and make modifications to either their habits or their equipment. And the second, is to allow utility companies to discourage usage during peak hours by charging an inflated rate for power and offering a discount rate during off-peak hours. 

In the meantime, while waiting for the smart grid, there are cost effective home energy usage monitors available that are highly rated, can be self installed, and can help you reduce electrical usage. The following link is to an article from treehugger that compares the top energy monitors available including Microsoft Hohm, google Power Meter, Kill a Watt, and others. Just click here: