Bringing the Vision to Life: Will Advances in Energy Communication Create a Significant Resource Strategy?

Panel: Visions of the Future: Big New Ideas for Energy Efficiency

Author:
Harvey Michaels, Michaels Energy Strategy and Analysis

Abstract

A consensus of utility industry, regulators, and policy makers is forming that seeks to increase the energy efficiency of homes and businesses to create most of the new energy supply needed over the next 20 years with the lowest resource cost, in a manner that has inherently less risk, less lead time, and yet more environmentally benign than any other resource.

As a key part of that strategy, the consensus is now stronger than ever for industry wide deployment of Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI), which, when combined with information displays, controllable devices and time-based pricing, is posited to increase the costresponsiveness of consumer behavior. AMI and home networks are the cutting edge of an ongoing energy efficiency strategy: to increase efficiency by providing meaningful communication systems for residential energy consumers.

This paper examines some of the big questions that resource planners have with this strategy: Do customers pay attention to information-based programs, and how effective can these programs become? Do we want a Smart Grid , or Smarter Customers ? How will AMI and home network technology make it easier to be a smart energy consumer? How large an impact can we expect, and what can utility energy programs do to maximize that?