Originally posted on sciy.org by Ron Anastasia on Wed 09 Jan 2008 04:39 PM PST
On average, consumers who participated in the project saved about 10% on their electricity bills and reduced peak power use by 15%.
The project, dubbed the Pacific Northwest GridWise Demonstration Project,
involved two separate studies, both involving consumers in
Customers could set the devices on a spectrum ranging from complete comfort -
meaning the desired temperature would be maintained regardless of the price of
electricity - to complete economy. The devices were connected to
In the second study, called the Grid Friendly Appliance project, controllers that detect and respond to stress on the electricity grid were embedded in dryers and water heaters in 150 homes. When stress was detected, the controllers would automatically turn off specific functions, such as heating, creating a momentary interruption in electricity consumption.
"As demand for electricity continues to grow ... technologies such as those demonstrated in the Olympic Peninsula area will play an important role in ensuring a continued delivery of safe and reliable power to all Americans," said Kevin Kolevar, the Department of Energy's assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability.
As electricity prices rise and concerns about greenhouse gases grow, utilities and policymakers are looking to energy efficiency as a way to reduce demand and cut carbon emissions. Traditionally, utilities and grid monitors have relied on large industrial consumers and businesses to reduce electricity usage during periods of peak demand, since homeowners have not had a way to monitor their electricity consumption in real time and respond directly to price changes.
Partners and financial contributors to the GridWise project included the Bonneville Power Administration, Portland General Electric Company (POR) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings subsidiary PacifiCorp.
-By
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-09-08 1415ET
Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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