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Smart Meters tie homeowners, into the grid, in a way that they can see the real time results of their energy actions.
The goal of this site is to provide great information about how to save energy through smart meters. There are a lot of smart meter options to consider. Please email tips and advice to admin@smartmeters.ws |
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Smart Meter Technology
You may not have hear of smart meters, but they are certainly an important part of the future technology mix. Major technology players are ramping up their efforts in this area including Google, Apple, and Ge. The United States is a bit behind in this area because energy hasn't been a major concern until the last few years. Currently, millions of smart meters have been installed, but it is a small fractions of the market (less than 5%). It is estimated that within the next few years over 90% of homes and businesses will have smart meters installed.
Why is a Smart Meter so Important
The smart meter will reduce energy consumption. That is the best answer. The other reason is that meter readers are no longer necessary because the meter will send the signal remotely back to the utility.
The larger question is how will the smart meter reduce energy consumption. What will happen is that utilities will get smarter about how energy is used. They will start to charge rates based on supply and demand. For example, in the summer peak load times in the afternoon will charge more than energy used during the night. As utilities get smarter at energy conservation, customers will also benefit from the knowledge.
As a result of the supply demand model, several events will occur. People with alternative energy generating abilities will be able to sell back their energy easier. For example, the peak load times in the summer are also the times that solar works the best. As a result, the higher peak load price will allow people to sell back their net solar energy at a higher price. In effect, the adding of a simple meter has made solar more affordable.
The other thing that will happen is customers will change their behavior to be more efficient. For example, some consumers will try and cool their home earlier in the day and shut energy consumption down in peak load times. Customers will also be able to see their energy usage much easier. They can see it with programs like Google PowerMeter. From their home or work computer, consumers will be able to see in real time their energy usage. People will gain an increased desire to save energy and will see where their energy is being wasted. People will be able to experiment with their home and see how they can reduce their consumption. Since the data will be in real time, people will be able to see immediate results on their efforts.
Who Will the Winners of Smart Meter Technology Be?
The hardware is not that complicated and will most likely become a commodity. The real winners will be companies that have the best software and focus on superior ways to manage the data.
The current market leader for smart meters is Itron. They have been around for a long time and are a global company.
The world is a big place and there are room for more than one or two winners. Ge has superior research ability and is trying to make a smart meter that is superior to any on the market. The quality of the meter matters more than the overall cost because utilities are purchasing the meters. Utilities simply pass the charge on to customers and do not have a great incentive to economize either. The other thing is that when you think about what the meter can do a difference of a hundred dollars (current difference in meter costs) is not that important.
Most people think that Google PowerMeter has a great chance to become the market leader. The reason is that the software will likely be the most important factor. Google is great at providing a free database for use. It will be great for consumers if Google wins the war because many third party people will be able to further innovate how to use the smart meter data.
Apple has applied for two patents to enter the smart meter market. They plan on creating a plug in device that home users can purchase and control without the utility. The device will allow you to power down lights and to see how much energy each device is using.
There is a current model of what apple is planning to do by Tenrehte Technologies. The device is called the Picowatt. The Picowatt is a plug in device that will cost around $80.00 that will wirelessly send a signal to your computer for energy management.
Historically, there has been a similar company called X10 that will help you manage your home appliances and lights. You can create macros and control everything from your home computer. The difference between X10 and newer power management technologies is that X10 will not show you how much power your are using. The good thing about X10 is that you can manage the devices easily and remotely for a low cost.
Why do People Like Home Plug Energy Management?
The reason people like home management is because utilities are slow to release information about the smart grid back to the people. In addition, there are those that distrust the utility companies. Utility companies are not helped by home plug management. Utilities need to get the information so that they can come up with supply demand modeling and to have the meter read remotely.
The likely scenario will be that people will use programs like Google PowerMeter and a smart meter installed by their utility. The reason is that it is more economical. It is a sure thing that Apple developers will come out with energy management apps. People will love managing their energy with a mobile device and Apple has a good chance to get that market share.
Global Integrated Acceptance
It isn't often that the entire world is on the same page. With smart meters, most all major industrial countries have policies in place to install smart meters. Italy was the first country to take smart meters seriously. Italys dominant utility Enel Spa has 27 million customers and is deploying smart meters to all customers (src: Wikipedia).
Other products of quick global expansion are mobile devices like cell phones, blackberries, and MP3 players. It will be interesting to see how mobile devices eventually integrate with energy management.
How Much Energy Will Electronics Use in the Home?
In the future, lights energy use will be reduced with LED lighting and other improvements. People are also starting to buy very energy efficient appliances. What will increase is that people will have several computers in the home and lots of mobile devices. It is projected that these electronic devices will take approximately 40% of the home energy use (src: Apple). That is why many technology companies are looking for innovative ways to reduce and manage energy.
Google Conserves Energy
Our hats go off to Google. They generate a lot of their energy using solar and have even used goats to keep the weeds down in their fields. If you look at an aerial picture of Google headquarters, you will see they have a very large solar array on each of their buildings.
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