Smart Grid and Energy Efficiency

With Everyone talking about Energy Efficiency, Smart Grid, Electric Cars, Black Outs, Smart Meters, Natural Resources, where does that leave the Actual Consumer?  As this article suggests-

-Becoming more Energy Efficient is the First Step- 

This does not mean Sacrificing your Lifestyle as you know it.  It means becoming more efficient in our daily lives.  Try some small steps first and you will see how easy becoming efficient can be.

Lifestyle changes are as simple as:

• Light Bulbs-EFFICIENCY - LEDs are very energy efficient and consume less power (amp draw)...up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs. This reduces the load on your electrical system including your battery, alternator, and power converter resulting in direct money-saving benefits.
• Blanket your Water Heater or Switch to a On Demand Type Water Heater
• Changing out your Furnace Air Filter Regularly
• Sealing the Leaks in your Home
• Turning Up or Down your Thermostat 

Scotts Contracting is available to assist with your Green Projects> Click Here to email Scotty and set up a free Green Site Inspection<

Energy efficiency and the smart grid

By Dale Pennington and Nicole Pennington, Utiliworks Consulting LLC

In the smart grid environment, the overriding theme has been energy efficiency. As natural resources continue to deplete, the global consciousness has a heightened awareness of the need to conserve energy.

To understand how the smart grid can maximize energy efficiency, we must analyze how each conservation tactic relates to a particular grid component.

Recent work by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory describes various smart grid-related mechanisms that potentially reduce electricity usage — important now, but critical in years to come.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects in the smart grid introduction materials, "In 30 years, the United States will be home to 100 million more people, roughly a third more than we have today."

This furthers the need to increase grid efficiency as more outlets, pollution and strain are bound to follow the increasing population. In particular, conservation voltage reduction and advanced voltage control, consumer education and feedback, and diagnostics deployment in residential and commercial buildings allows for the greatest energy savings potential.

To maximize loss reduction regarding efficiencies in voltage reduction and advanced voltage control, a utility must gather the appropriate field data, have an application that can use the information and decide which parameters it will use to manage its voltage program.

To begin and to maximize potential utility savings, advanced metering technology must be implemented. The new smart meters record and transmit the measured voltage at discreet intervals, allowing utilities more data to analyze their customers' usage trends. Many of these meters provide voltage as a standard measurement in low-end meters.

Furthermore, many advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems have the channel capabilities to capture and transmit the information near real time to a utility's control systems. Many questions must be addressed, however, before voltage reduction and control can be optimized.

What are the parameters that will initiate the time and duration of voltage reduction? What is the expected benefit? What are the new processes to be created? Are there potential negative effects on my client base? What are the capital costs required to accomplish my voltage program, and what changes must be initiated within the utility to make this program successful?

If managed appropriately, a utility, theoretically making $500 million in annual kilowatt sales would save $10 million every year at 2 percent direct reduction. As mentioned in the PNNL report, 4 percent can be obtained, which would double the savings to $20 million per year. Proper voltage control management control could avoid disruptions to utility customers and be a legitimate financial incentive.

Another energy efficient subsection relates to consumer education. PNNL attributes a 3 percent direct reduction in energy usage, making it one of the most promising efficiency mechanisms.

On our $500 million annual electricity sales, this is worth more than $15 million. For this to be effective, the technology must be simple and must not interfere with normal customer routines.

At the residential level, the smart grid must be an easy "set-it-and-forget-it" technology. U.S. Department of Energy research indicates that consumers are ready to engage with the smart grid.

Utilities just need to stay connected with consumers. This is not simple for any utility. While new methods and technologies that communicate to customers their energy use have emerged, every communication path has a cost and might be effective with only a discrete client community.

A utility also must understand what percentage of its clients has the communication channel available. Is using SMS messaging helpful in generating energy efficiency with clients? How about sending information to an iPhone and loading a Google app to help customers understand energy costs and usage? Does the utility wish to use HANs as a conduit to improved efficiency? These are only samplings of communications channels utilities have to support or consider within energy efficiency programs.

Another energy efficiency subsection relates to diagnostics in the residential and small- to medium-sized commercial buildings. Smart meters easily record critical data such as a power factor. When a building measures a low power factor, the meter can detect it. This lends itself to possibly addressing the low energy efficiency problem.

Many questions must be answered, however, before an advanced meter can translate into energy savings. How does one gather this valuable data from the meter and convert it to client corrective action to improve energy usage? What does the client know about power factor, and what does he or she know about improving it? Should the client be penalized if the power factor is below a certain threshold? Is the penalty significant enough to the client that the client will purchase necessary equipment to rectify the situation?

If customers are not informed of the technology, the accessibility of information and the drawbacks of resisting efficiency, they won't adjust. Improving power factor is a positive goal, but the process and methods to obtain it must be built into a plan.

While outlining these three areas of energy efficiency improvements, it becomes apparent that there are benefits that can be obtained. But utilities must plan efforts to address issues the smart grid brings. Each benefit brings different participants, costs and technologies. All benefits can be obtained, but utilities must recognize all the efforts and planning that must be accounted for to reach smart grid energy efficiencies.

Authors: Dale Pennington is managing director and executive consultant at Utiliworks Consulting LLC, aprofessional services organization that helps utility clients assess, design, procure and deploy advanced metering systems and smart grid technologies.

Nicole Pennington is marketing coordinator of Utiliworks Consulting LLC.