We live in a dumb grid, but we can drink Smart Water!
Smart water right; filter it, juice it up with some vitamins and its smart. Not sure paying more for it qualifies as smart, but you don’t have to buy vitamins separate from water ….
The distribution systems, those complex networks of pipes and wires that delivery natural gas and electricity, are called grids.
Putting meters on them and connecting them to the internet; smart right?
Utilities get paid based upon measuring how much energy you use and charging you for it; in fact, energy marketers receive the same information from the utilities. However, does collecting information on your usage every 15 minutes instead of every month make anyone a better energy consumer, utility or energy marketer?
Certainly, putting measurement devices (not called meters anymore) in the grid is expensive and the utilities want you to pay for it. Is it cost effective; that is, do the measurement devices provide a benefit that is equal to or match to the investment? The answer at present is definitely no.
So why proceed? That answer lies in the realm of politics and utilities earnings based on spending money (see link for more on utility operation of metering) http://realgyenergyservices.com/chicago-homeowners-get-zapped/).
Evolving toward measuring energy consumption in near real-time will mean that consumers will be exposed to market pricing with little to no damping by the utility or energy marketer. This, of course, is what we are used to; supply and demand in an e-commerce world. However, it might be different with utilities as it is with water.
Realgy supports the investment by utilities in technology that is cost effective and provides benefits to the consumer.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, MangedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM as well as Index, Fixed pricing.
Additional information: www.realgyenergyservices.com
Supporting Documentation: