"Ben, the German highway system concept actually started BEFORE Nazi Germany during the…"
Will cyber-sensitives reveal the future of energy efficiency?
The US economy is three times larger than China’s, yet when it comes to developing a clean energy industry, China keeps besting us. The US came in second – again – to China this quarter in Ernst & Young’s much-watched renewable energy ranking released February 28.
But there is one clean energy segment where the US leads: demand response.
Demand response comes into play when there is high demand for power straining the electric grid, usually hot summer days. Utilities or grid operators give factories and other businesses a payment in return for decreasing their energy use during these peak periods. As a result, demand response not only averts blackouts, but also saves us money, since it is far cheaper to conserve energy when the grid is strained than it is to generate more power.
Discussion continues at http://www.realenergywriters.com/ee-blog/2012/02/29/will-cyber-sens...
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Comment
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Comment by Bob Blanchette on March 13, 2012 at 8:09am -
We did TOU rates last summer and it knocked about 20% off our power bill. This as done with a simple programmable thermostat set to 78 from 2-7pm weekdays when electricity was @ 23cents per KWH and 72 the rest of the time, electricity @ 4.5cents per KWH. The year we're doing VPP "smarthours" program, but it's not practical for most people unless you get the radio controlled thermostat that responds to price automatically. Making saving EASY is the key to getting widespread acceptance, and the RC thermostat does just that. We'll see how it works out June 1st when VPP rates go into effect fro the summer.
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Comment by Bob Blanchette on March 13, 2012 at 7:56am
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It's already happening on a residential level here in OKC. Time Of Use rates and Variable Peak Pricing are already options being advertised by our local utility. OGE can even install a radio controlled programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts based on the cost of power during peak times. The thermostat is optional and free including installation to the consumer. Conventional programmable thermostats will become obsolete as utility companies implement Smartgrids with Variable Peak Electric rates. Smartgrids are cheaper than power plants...
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