It's a great question to ask, and an important one for the future of our electricity needs. If you're not familiar with these little systems, they were built to help us save money on our utility bills. Now, you probably want to know more about it, but the thing is this is what the electric companies tell us. It's our job to figure out whether or not it's true, and who will actually benefit from it.
Even though there is only a small fraction around the U.S., they will be all over soon enough. The idea is that we are all going to save energy from utilizing smart meters and being able to spend this money elsewhere. These have already been positioned in Ontario as well as other places, and soon they will be within the 3k utility companies across the United States.
Smart meters take the place of regular power meters. They send data about power consumption by radio signal. This data is received directly by the power company, which can send signals back to tell the meter what to do. This means no more meter readers and no more delay in bills. That means that companies will be able to keep track of consumption as it rises and lowers throughout the course of the day. That permits them to start implementing based on supply and demand, giving users at off-peak times bargain pricing. This kind of pricing is already pretty common among industrial users. It's just recently that it's reached commercial and residential electricity markets. As of 2005, the federal government is recommending that state utility commissions consider demand-response pricing. Utilities have planned to deploy over forty million smart meters by 2010.
How does that break down into cheaper power for you? Well, you'll be able to choose when you're using power and look at pricing in real time. You can see how much your usage is costing you and make choices based on that. If rates are high, it might be time to put off some energy intensive chores or turn up the thermostat a little to save power. If rates are low, it might be time to do a lot of laundry or just enjoy the savings.
This money saving plan does require the power companies to price smart. If they don't implement new pricing, the new smart meters won't be a huge help. However, if they do, these meters could be the key to making intelligent, informed choices about your electricity usage. That's great for the planet, and for your budget, too. - 29939
Even though there is only a small fraction around the U.S., they will be all over soon enough. The idea is that we are all going to save energy from utilizing smart meters and being able to spend this money elsewhere. These have already been positioned in Ontario as well as other places, and soon they will be within the 3k utility companies across the United States.
Smart meters take the place of regular power meters. They send data about power consumption by radio signal. This data is received directly by the power company, which can send signals back to tell the meter what to do. This means no more meter readers and no more delay in bills. That means that companies will be able to keep track of consumption as it rises and lowers throughout the course of the day. That permits them to start implementing based on supply and demand, giving users at off-peak times bargain pricing. This kind of pricing is already pretty common among industrial users. It's just recently that it's reached commercial and residential electricity markets. As of 2005, the federal government is recommending that state utility commissions consider demand-response pricing. Utilities have planned to deploy over forty million smart meters by 2010.
How does that break down into cheaper power for you? Well, you'll be able to choose when you're using power and look at pricing in real time. You can see how much your usage is costing you and make choices based on that. If rates are high, it might be time to put off some energy intensive chores or turn up the thermostat a little to save power. If rates are low, it might be time to do a lot of laundry or just enjoy the savings.
This money saving plan does require the power companies to price smart. If they don't implement new pricing, the new smart meters won't be a huge help. However, if they do, these meters could be the key to making intelligent, informed choices about your electricity usage. That's great for the planet, and for your budget, too. - 29939
About the Author:
Author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Texas Electricity business for the past 7 years. Get more information on Texas Electric rates.
