Smart Grid Blog

Home energy management systems and smart thermostats feature a lot of programmable settings that allow users and their utilities to maximize energy savings. Usually these are based on a consumer’s schedule or times of peak energy demand for the utility; but what if a thermostat could pre-program itself based on weather forecasts to optimize both Continue reading →

The results are in from San Diego Gas & Electric’s (SDG&E) Biggest Energy Saver campaign in California, which utilized the Tendril Connect (TM) cloud platform, Tendril in-home smart devices, and a social media gaming application developed by Simple Energy integrated on the Tendril platform. The winner of the Biggest Energy Saver campaign, Erica Faunce of Continue reading →

A smart office is one which uses less energy, where wireless sensors placed on workstations and personal computers “talk” to each and relay information about the room back to a computer or base station, which then “tell” individual LED lights installed on the ceiling how much to light up, dim or switch off. Such a Continue reading →

You’re paying for utility reduction programs you may be missing; and baby bats are again at risk. Retired long-haul trucker Sharon Ramsey reduced her electric cost last week thanks to a program available to Texas homeowners with air conditioning. via Chop your electric cost for free but don’t cut bats from your tree » Corpus Continue reading →

While energy efficiency companies are making good inroads with enterprise customers, getting consumers to engage with energy-saving devices has been an ongoing struggle within the smart grid industry. Part of the issue is the struggle to figure out designs and setups that actually engage consumers; the other is getting utilities to sign on. via Home Continue reading →

Today, most businesses have clear insight into IT spend or capital expenditures, but when asked about energy costs, it’s typically not on their radar. Overall, 30 percent energy savings are possible for most businesses right now. The technology exists today to make a difference, and with the advent of the Smart Grid comes an opportunity Continue reading →

Despite all the talk about carbon footprints and the rows of compact fluorescent light bulbs at every hardware store in the U.S., consumers have no idea how much energy they use and don’t understand the best ways to reduce consumption, according to a new study. via Infrared and Energy Efficiency: Are We “Clueless” on Saving Continue reading →

If going green is the expensive energy option, why has Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) saved $50 million by converting 500 of its stores to Energy Star buildings? It’s because while clean energy was once the expensive energy, it gets cheaper and cheaper every day. So every day you wait to invest in the sector means profits Continue reading →

Imagine if the utility company in your area presented your company with a $2 million rebate cheque just for turning down the lights when they asked? That's exactly what happened to NetApp, a networking storage vendor, after using Cisco's (NASDAQ: CSCO) Network Building Mediator product. According to Sanket Amberkar, marketing manager, Smart Grid Solutions, for Continue reading →

With energy prices increasing, AEG Power Solutions (http://www.aegps.com) recently took control of its electricity bill by designing and installing the largest commercial rooftop solar system in Plano, Texas. AEG Power Solutions’ North American headquarters uses its new 49-kilowatt system to harvest solar energy and invert the current to feed directly into the building and reduce Continue reading →

The government will launch a five-year trial project with total spending of 100 billion yen to prove the efficiency of ‘‘smart grid’’ systems linking power suppliers with households using energy-saving technologies. The project will begin in four major areas—Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Toyota in Aichi Prefecture and the Keihanna area covering Continue reading →

If people can quit smoking and lose weight, then surely then can save energy at home, says GroundedPower. The Newton, Mass.-based start-up is one of dozens of smart-grid companies working in home energy efficiency, but it's one of the few whose founders are versed in psychology and behavioral science. That's one reason GroundedPower has chosen Continue reading →

If you’re like me, you’ve done plenty of driving in the middle of the night in unfamiliar territory, whizzing by strip malls and distribution centers and warehouses. Did you ever notice how often the lights are on in those facilities? I’m sure the midnight shift needs some illumination, but think about how much money the Continue reading →

Imagine the scenario: bulbs, washing machine and air-conditioner in your house could automatically switch to operate in an energy-saving manner at peak times of power use when electricity rates heighten. Actually, it may come into reality soon. China is stepping up the “smart grid” construction across the country, as Premier Wen Jiabao put it in Continue reading →

With the debate about the need for a national broadband network behind us and the contract-letting phase nearing, the discussion is moving on to another kind of network. Attention is turning to the electricity supply network. One suggestion argues that by giving it an injection of intelligence – turning the creaking national grid into a Continue reading →

A smart grid pilot project in Fayetteville, N.C., has resulted in an initial 20 percent decline in average electricity consumption, according Consert, a Raleigh, N.C. technology company. Those numbers are based on the first month of the project, a joint effort between Consert and I.B.M. that installed energy management systems for 100 residential and business Continue reading →

Passive solar design is one of the simplest ways to improve your home’s value and save electricity at the same time. Passive solar design is a smart way of using the natural heat and light from the sun in your home. This is usually done by using various building materials and concepts to efficiently heat Continue reading →

Octus Energy (OTCBB: OCTI) today announced its affiliation with two University of California, Davis energy efficiency research centers, the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) and the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC). As an affiliate member, Octus will collaborate with CLTC and WCEC to develop and deploy the Octus Smart Energy Platform (OctusSEP), focused on commercializing Continue reading →

BOMA Chicago has put in a proposal for a federally-funded smart grid system that will give its 262 participating members in the downtown area an advantage on the energy resale market and significant energy savings across the board. “This is the first ever aggregation of demand-side resources in the smart grid arena,” Michael Cornicelli, executive Continue reading →

The Californian utility Burbank Water and Power based in Burbank intends to convert its power supply network into a smart grid. To achieve this it has contracted Siemens Energy to implement a meter data management system. The system provided by Siemens and its smart metering partner eMeter, which is headquartered in San Mateo, California, is Continue reading →