What are utilities doing with all their data?
Dive Brief: Utilities are investing in technology that allows them to understand and adjust their delivery systems, though so far the majority of “data analytics” projects have been aimed at arming consumers with more…
Smart meter data shown to change customer behaviors
Newly available and independently validated data from the MyMeter program used by four rural electric co-ops in Minnesota and from two Massachusetts programs suggests that behavioral programs in which utilities feed detailed electricity usage…
The future of Google’s Nest
Even before Google acquired Nest for $3.2 billion, the maker of the Learning Thermostat was a name brand. By taking its instantly recognizable, smart energy-saving device directly into the homes of countless Americans, Nest performed…
The Language of Smart City, part II
As in all Utopias, the right to have plans of any significance belonged only to the planner in charge. Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) Illustration: Oliver Munday In a…
The Language of Smart City, part I
We want our tools to sing of not just productivity but of our love of curiosity, the joy of wonderment, and the freshness of the unknown. —Eric Paulos, “Manifesto of Open Disruption and Participation” Illustration:…
Smart Sensors
This article is part of the March 2014 special report on the Internet of Things, a network of items—each embedded with sensors—which are connected to the Internet. Sensors, actuators, and RFID tags have been around…
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…
