California’s IOUs plan to offer time-of-use rates
Customers’ acceptance or resistance to time-of-use-rates hinges on two key factors—how well the rates are designed, and how effectively they are marketed—according to Peter Cappers, a research scientist with the Electric Markets and Policy Group…
Smart grid and the connection to smart cities
Modernizing the nation’s electric grid is paying dividends for many utilities. Ongoing population growth and economic development in urban metropolitan areas makes meeting the growing demand for electricity a perpetual challenge. Utility experts advocate a…
How should utilities make a play for the smart home?
Google’s decision to buy Nest for $3.2 billion has put home energy management (HEM) in the spotlight, but mass retailers like Home Depot, Best Buy and Staples are reaching millions of people with their smart…
Top 5 Smart Grid Trends From 2013 to Watch in 2014
To begin the New Year, based on the articles that appeared in this newsletter during 2013, your editor has put on his wizard’s hat and picked the top five trends in the smart grid arena…
Smart meters are here. So why isn’t dynamic pricing?
In the last few years, utilities across the U.S. have installed millions of smart meters, a move that was expected to usher in new pricing options. But utilities have been slow to adopt dynamic pricing…
A significant improvement in Demand Side Management communications technologies towards smart appliances direct control
Data has been transmitted across a national electricity grid for the first time, in what could be a significant step towards the creation of virtual power stations, where many thousands of homes and businesses combine…
Smart Thermostats in 2016 report
Thermostats are the center of the home when it comes to residential energy management. In the United States, heating and cooling account for about 48% of the energy use in a typical home, making it…
How smart meters are changing energy efficiency in California
Two years ago, the U.S. reached a quiet tipping point in the modernization of its power grid: The number of electric meters with two-way communications surpassed the number of older models on the grid. It’s…
