Smart Grid, But What About the User?
March 26, 2009
USA Today published an article this week pointing out that 1 in 3 consumers who install high-efficiency appliances (light bulbs, air conditioners, …bidets?) don’t always see a marked decrease in their utility bill. The problem is evident to anyone who has tried a diet and failed; it’s called the Snackwell Effect. From the article:
People who install efficient lights lose 5%-12% of the expected energy savings by leaving them on longer, said Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez of the non-profit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. People who buy an efficient furnace lose 10%-30% of their savings, probably from raising the thermostat, she said.
[Alan King of Morgantown, W.Va.] confesses that sometimes his wife will wash just one piece of clothing in their high-efficiency washer, which she would not have done before.
It seems that efficient power generation and routing isn’t enough to address our appetite for consumption. Those failed dieters will confess to falling victim to the concept of a ‘diet’ and that the only long-term solution is a change in eating habits, a change in lifestyle. The same may be said for energy use.
The concept of a smart grid is, then, only as smart as the user. There are an abundance of clever (and geeky) folks out there striving to understand there impact, and share their experiences with others. One fellow, about a year ago, set up his house to tweet its energy use. Following @andy_house requires registration, but screenshots are available by following the former link.
If you have recently, or soon plan to, upgrade your home to include high-efficiency appliances: kudos to you, and thank you. That’s just the first step, though; the rest is, also, up to you.
Edit March 26th, 2009: Want your house to tweet your awesomeness? The Make blog has instructions for outlet-level tweeting.
