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We all know that the rise of
power rates and the surprise of
unexpected power consumption
have left consumers both floored
and confused. Living on a
limited budget, homeowners are
facing a big problem. They don't
know the amount of power they
are consuming until after they
have received their bill. Power
companies will usually provide
energy-saving tips on their
website, but this information
does little to help consumers
manage the use of the
electricity that is consumed.
On another note, our
home energy programs have shown
a continuous cycle of low-income
consumers applying for energy
assistance year after year.
Although the energy assistance
programs were not designed to
build dependencies, we need to
revaluate how we can truly help
people and realign the focus on
the long term. We believe that
we can better assist consumers
through education and resource
management.
Blueline Innovations has
developed a real-time
whole-house feedback management
device called the PowerCost
MonitorTM
that puts the consumer in
control of the electricity they
consume. Case studies and test
pilots have proven both
reliability and energy savings
as much as 20% based on the
power of real-time feedback. The
PowerCost Monitor is a wireless
monitoring device that works
seamlessly with mechanical,
digital, and smart meters making
setup fast and easy for the
consumer. The PowerCost Monitor
provides customers the
information they need to make
informed decisions “right now”
within the home. The display of
the PowerCost Monitor will show
the live load of the home in
kilowatts and dollars as well as
total kilowatts and total
dollars consumed within a
billing cycle.
Some electric utility companies
set aside funds specifically for
energy conservation measures.
Attempting to lower consumption,
most of the utility companies
will implement a compact
fluorescent light bulb program,
but this only addresses 1% of
the symptom. It’s time to work
on the problem. As an informed
consumer, we won’t leave on the
lights, A/C or the computer if
we can see exactly how much
these electronic devices are
costing us while in operation.
In addition, a consumer can
utilize the real-time feedback
information to make management
decisions within the home.
A tiny example of this would be
if decide to go to the store and
purchase a pie. I choose to
purchase a frozen apple pie
because it is the cheapest pie
to purchase. I bake the frozen
pie with an electric oven. At a
kilowatt hour rate of 18 cents,
the PowerCost Monitor reveals
that it cost $1.13 to bake the
frozen pie. The frozen pie cost
$4.00 compared to the pre-baked
pie priced at $4.50. From the
real-time feedback information
of the PowerCost Monitor, I
learned that the pre-baked pie
was a better value at $4.50
compared to the frozen pie which
ended up costing $5.13 plus more
than an hour of my time. I am
now able to make an informed
decision the next time I shop.
Using some larger examples, how
much are you paying for hot
water when you take a 15 minute
shower? What does it cost to
run your heat pump in order to
keep your house at 72 degrees
instead of 68 degrees in the
winter? How much does the pool
or jacuzzi cost to operate? No
mater what examples, tiny or
large, just imagine the
thousands of dollars in loss due
to the unnecessary power
consumption that occurs over the
life occupancy of a home.
What consumers don’t realize is
that power companies can
actually lose money when they
are called to meet a large power
demand. In the summer time we
hear of brownouts or even have
blackouts when everyone is
running their air conditioners
on a hot day. Under these
circumstances, power companies
lose. They lose because they
have to add generators in
priority, each generator having
a higher cost to operate. Oil
generators are fired last, since
they cost the most to operate.
What does all this mean? Well,
it means that a lower demand
equals more profit for the power
companies. It sounds silly, but
this is how it works. We see
these hefty kilowatt hour rates,
because the funds need to be
allocated for any unexpected
demand that the future may hold.
The PowerCost Monitor is a
solution where everyone wins;
consumers, power companies, and
even the environment.
As a result, you can see that
the whole mindset can change on
how we live and consume
electricity. Implementations
have proven that the PowerCost
Monitor can reduce energy
consumption within the home,
since customers now have the
knowledge to change behavioral
use and make usage choices
accordingly. A state-wide
implementation of the PowerCost
Monitor as a conservation
initiative can reduce energy
demand and reduce the emissions
of greenhouse gases.
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