2008-04-04
Boulder Considers 'Smart' Metering. ENN, April 3, 2008. "Boulder, Colorado may soon have options that allow far greater control over energy use. Last month, power company Xcel Energy selected Boulder to become the world's first 'Smart Grid City,' an experiment in one of the latest efficiency technologies... Based on a home's average electricity use, the meters calculate the next day's expected electric bill, identify how much power various appliances require, and provide homeowners with options to reduce their energy costs. The homeowner can then, for example, turn off the pool heater when electricity is most expensive, or use air conditioning when electricity is cheapest -- making it possible to coast through the 'peak' hours of high electricity demand... 'One aspect [of a smart grid] is that it can help promote energy efficiency; another is it can help improve reliability... It's multi-dimensional,' said Don Von Dollen, a smart grid program manager at the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, California. EPRI estimates that power outages and power quality disturbances alone cost U.S. businesses more than $120 billion a year."
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