Russ Steele
According to PG&E SmartMeter brochures they are here to help customers save money. What they do not say is, to do that customers must modify their lifestyle to meet those savings goals. Right, here are some excerpts from a story posted by the Environmental Defense Fund last Thursday, the 26th of June. Detail here.
According to PG&E SmartMeter brochures they are here to help customers save money. What they do not say is, to do that customers must modify their lifestyle to meet those savings goals. Right, here are some excerpts from a story posted by the Environmental Defense Fund last Thursday, the 26th of June. Detail here.
"Today's PUC decision shows yet again that California is creating a model that other states can follow to save ratepayers money, grow the economy and protect the environment," said Lauren Navarro, Environmental Defense Fund, which was a party in the smart grid proceeding. "Utilities now have clear guidelines for developing smart grid plans that are able help California meets its energy and environmental goals."See, it all about California meeting those pesky CO2 reduction goals and providing customers with tool so they can social engineer their lifestyle to meet the goals.
Studies have shown that a smart grid can reduce household utility bills 10 percent when customers have access to tools, technologies and real-time information that can help them better manage energy use.See, if customers do not comply, they will raise your rates until you do comply!
By providing ratepayers with information about how much electricity they use at different times of the day, utilities can help customers save electricity during critical times. This "demand response" process leads to cost savings, reduced energy use and cleaner air. If just five percent of customers shift their use, the most expensive and polluting peak power plants will come online less often and prices for all customers will drop substantially.
Maximizing these benefits will require a smart grid that can facilitate: expanded deployment of renewable and distributed power sources; greater use and charging of electric vehicles and new energy storage technologies; and greater reliance on demand-side resources, especially those that serve as an alternative to new peaking power plants.
What they just said, it that they can use the smart meters to adjust the load. Who creates that load, right customers. So, rather than produce more CO2 spewing power plants they will turn up your AC thermostat or your furnace thermostat down to adjust the load. Or, turn off that big screen TV that is eating up their watts.
Nancy Ryan, the public utility commissioner in charge of the smart grid proceeding, ensured that the smart grid plan approved today was designed to maximize consumer and environmental benefits.Do you know what the A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is? It is a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal. Remember California is committed to producing 33% of it's power by wind and solar, two sources that they have no control over, so they are going need those smart meters to adjust the load at homes all across California.
The agency's smart grid planning process began after Senate Bill 17 (Padilla) was signed into law last year. That bill called for utilities to give special attention to consumer protection and environmental benefits when developing these plans. It also integrated California's environmental policies related to mitigating climate change. These include the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), building and appliance efficiency standards, the loading order that prioritizes renewables and energy efficiency over fossil fuel energy, and air quality improvement policies.
Just think how you are going to feel after being stuck on the freeway in your electric car, and turn up the AC to save battery energy and look forward to a nice cool house when you get home, only to discover the power company used the smart grid to turn up your AC while you were on the freeway. That is not going to go over too well with consumers. But, remember the PUC is doing all this for you!
"The PUC decision is a solid step forward in guiding the utilities to deliver all of the environmental and consumer benefits that the smart grid provides," concluded Navarro
