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You’ve probably heard plenty of buzz about the smart grid. GE has been touting it for a while, and they have an entire fancy site set up about it, but what exactly is a smart grid? It’s basically a network of electric distribution that has a sustainable source of energy, efficient transfer, and efficient appliances that use and measure energy.
Why measure energy? Studies show that when consumers have more detailed information on their energy use, they can find ways to reduce consumption by 5 to 10 percent. When utilities have variable, or time-of-use, pricing, consumers could cut electricity use by 15 percent at on-peak times, typically in the morning and early evening. [CNET]
But the impressive thing about GE’s research is that they have unveiled a plan that would easily cut consumer net energy consumption to zero. That’s right – zero. For the home-owner who pays through the nose for energy bills, any reduction is welcome.
An important thing about the smart grid is that energy generators aren’t just in big, central power plants – in the smart grid, houses have a small turbine and solar panel. This is what helps bring down net energy consumption to zero.
But the key aspect of the smart grid that makes it so efficient is information. Appliances in the smart home would have an energy monitor, which would provide detailed energy data and potentially control appliances with Home Energy Manager, a device that is expected to cost between $200 and $250. What about the added cost to the appliance? It’s not much, actually. The premium for the more efficient, networked appliances will be about $10 more, according to GE executives at a smart grid media day.
The information would be used for two purposes – first, to inform the home owner. With the communication link in place, consumers can find out how much electricity individual appliances use and program them to take advantage of off-peak rates. For example, the control unit could evaluate electricity rates and see that running a dishwasher when the solar panels are producing is cheaper than running the load at off-peak times. Or a clothes drier can go into “conservation” mode during peak times where it will operate at a lower temperature and take longer to run.
Take this in combination with power generators on the roof of homes, energy efficient lighting, programmable thermostats set to save energy, and other smart home technologies, and you have yourself a home that generates at least as much as it uses. And if you produce enough energy, you could put it back into the grid and even turn a profit (and help lower the rates for energy overall).
This probably sounds like a big pipe dream that we won’t see realized in the near future. But it’s closer than you might think. GE is piloting the in-home products this year and expects to have the appliances and energy display available next year.
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