A roadmap to plan future grid developments for residential customers launched at the Smart Grid Modernization Summit The smart grid promises to interconnect the reviving North American building market, beginning in the commercial building sector as government mandates drive energy efficiency standards. However, this trend is reaching the residential market following the introduction of smart Continue reading →
Endesa had over 3.5 million smart meters installed by the end of April 2013 at residential customer premises in the regions it serves as an electricity distributor, equivalent to 30% of its overall smart meter installation program in Spain, the company has reported. via www.metering.com | Endesa has 3.5 million smart meters installed.
Nest Labs purchased fellow startup MyEnergy on Wednesday to enhance its partnerships in the utility sector and expand its residential demand response offerings. Nest doesn’t call its new services “demand response,” but it has been building its utility relationships and announced deals with Austin Energy, Green Mountain Energy and Southern California Edison last month. via Nest Labs Continue reading →
The smart energy sector is evolving rapidly, expanding from a collection of niche markets into a standardized part of the global energy portfolio. In the same fashion that the Internet has produced a democratization of information and knowledge, the availability of small, distributed generation technologies, such as solar panels, small wind turbines and residential combined Continue reading →
Nest Labs, maker of the Nest learning thermostat, wants to shake up the residential demand response (DR) market. Nest is taking a three-pronged approach to drive adoption of residential DR services and, of course, sell more of its thermostats: via » Nest Aims to Shake Up Residential DR Navigant Research.
The Sacramento Bee has penned an editorial endorsing the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD’s) new rate proposal as a “farsighted change.” The plan would phase out the current two-tiered system over four years. By 2017, all residential customers would pay the same price per unit of electricity no matter how much they used. Beginning in Continue reading →
Energy efficiency can be a great investment, but a lack of capital is often a barrier. Energy-efficiency financing programs designed to help energy users overcome this barrier have been around for at least 30 years. But in the residential sector, few of these programs have been successful. via Rural co-ops hold the secret to energy-efficiency Continue reading →
Greentech Media has named CenterPoint Energy one of the Top Ten North American Utilities in recognition of its smart grid deployment programs. CenterPoint Energy, which implements Ventyx solutions designed to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, has adopted various initiatives to significantly increase power reliability for residential and businesses customers in the Houston, Continue reading →
A new report from the smart grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) found that utilities that are taking an active approach to integrate education and engagement into their residential, customer-facing smart grid programs have discovered a high degree of consumer satisfaction and acceptance, via Report Finds Consumer Education Benefits Smart Energy.
The Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) will launch a new residential demand response program this summer using Wi-Fi communicating thermostats and EnergyHub’s Mercury demand response software platform. The initial deployment is planned for 1,000 Wi-Fi thermostats, and participating co-op members will have the choice of professional installation or installing the thermostat themselves. via Renew Grid: Continue reading →
Consumer demand response and home energy management provider Energate Inc. is working with GE to supply its demand response platform for residential demand response solutions in conjunction with GE’s Grid IQ Respond Solutions as a Service (SaaS) offering for GE’s PowerOn Precision software platform. The collaboration will use Energate’s CCDR platform, with its range of Continue reading →
A new study showed home water heaters can help integrate wind energy into the region’s power system. The newly released study by Ecofys energy consultants demonstrates that residential electric water heaters and furnaces, refrigerated warehouses, and commercial heating and cooling loads can help the power grid accommodate variable wind energy. via Ecofys Study: Water Heaters Continue reading →
Greenvity Communications expands its Hybrii family of system-on-chip (SoC) connectivity solutions with the new Hybrii-Mini GV7013 aimed at cost-sensitive consumer and industrial applications. Compatible with the HomePlug Green PHY powerline communication (PLC) specification for smart grid applications, the GV7013 specifically addresses intelligent and controlled LED lighting. The Hybrii-Mini PLC enables intelligent LED lighting over long Continue reading →
The power grid, for the most part, wasn’t designed with too many fail-safes, and the aging infrastructure shows this weakness every time there is a storm or excessive demand. Blackouts and brownouts, though, can be at least minimized or mitigated with the addition of smart-grid technology. By combining smart switching and backup power supplies, even Continue reading →
As is often the case, a factoid floated by and sparked a thought. Last week, IMS Research reported that less than 20 percent of the 1.4 billion electricity meters in the world could communicate; just a subset are the two-way interval meters on residential homes that have gained notoriety in the United States. via Smart Continue reading →
2013 is poised to be a breakthrough year for residential demand response (DR) and home energy management (HEM). Here are my predictions for what we might expect. via Smart Grid: 10 home energy management trends for 2013.
BuLogics, Inc. a leading designer of wireless automation solutions for the commercial, hospitality, residential and industrial markets, successfully demonstrated its OpenADR2.0a / Z-Wave demand response system for multi-dwelling units at the SGIP Grid Interop event held December 3-6 in Irving, Texas. In addition, the company has presented a white paper mapping OpenARD2.0a signals to Z-Wave Continue reading →
After years of successful pilots, NV Energy is rolling out EcoFactor’s automated energy management service to thousand of customers. The utility, which has deployed most of its smart meters to its 1.4 million metered sites, has been focusing on the residential side of its smart grid program for years. via Smart Grid Roundup: EcoFactor, Entouch Continue reading →
Philadelphia-based PECO has filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for enhanced PECO Smart Ideas energy efficiency and demand response programs for residential and business customers. Following PUC review and approval, the new programs would be available beginning in June 2013. via Renew Grid: PECO Develops More Demand Response, Energy Efficiency Programs.
Buildings consume significant amounts of energy. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in the Department of Energy (DOE) reported that buildings accounted for 72 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption in 2006 and this number will rise to 75 percent by 2025. This is split almost 50/50 between commercial and residential buildings. via How the smart Continue reading →
