GridWise slashes energy via broadband

Results from a year-long US study on high-tech electricity meters have found that 'smart grid technology' can save consumers 10 per cent on their bills and ease the strain on the national grid too.

The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest Laboratory released the findings from its GridWise project, which tested the use of internet-connected thermostats and other controls in 112 homes in the Seattle area. Consumers also tried out appliances like water heaters and dryers that were able to automatically change their settings according to signals sent by the utility over the power grid. These changes could be as small as turning off the heat on the dryer while it continues to tumble for a few minutes, but such minute-to-minute adjustments can have significant benefits to utilities.

Homeowners in the study were equipped with a gateway device that used an existing broadband connection to receive pricing information from the utility, which is transmitted wirelessly to a smart thermostat and a smart meter. They had the ability to preset certain conditions, allowing the utility to lower the thermostat, for example. They could manually override those settings and go online and see how prices fluctuated in real time.

Participants were able to choose on a sliding scale between economy and comfort. The thermostat had an LED display to indicate when the utility was automatically controlling appliances. One consumer in the study said that he relied almost exclusively on pre-set levels and automatic changes, except for a few occasions where the temperature in the home dropped more than the people in his household were willing to accept. "99 per cent of the time, we accepted what the system was offering us," said Jerry Brous, a 67-year-old Seattle homeowner. "You learn how much you will tolerate."

One of Brous's favourite features was the ability to control his house's climate remotely over any internet connection, allowing him to turn on the hot water heater or heat before returning from a trip.

Despite their effectiveness, one of the persistent problems with smart grid technologies is that they require additional investment on the part of utilities and, potentially, consumers. Rob Pratt, program manager at Pacific Northwest National Lab said that the smart grid technology used in the study costs about $1,000 (£500) per home, but it could be as little as $400 or $500 (£200-250). Average savings for a utility in a deployment would be in the 5 to 15 per cent range.

Pratt predicted that there will be extensive use of these technologies in different areas within five years, and that in 10 to 15 years there will be big waves of integrating customers. "The key issues are not technical and much more regulatory. We're fundamentally displacing the need for new infrastructure," he said.

Related Links

• SmartPlanet