August 14
The Utility Billing System Is Preventing Rate and Program Innovation
This week's top smart energy news, curated by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC).
Member News
Imagine if a utility could design a new dynamic rate on a Monday, assess its impact across every customer in the service territory the next day and have it live on customer bills two months later. This is the pace at which utility billing needs to work because the rates, programs and business models that will deliver affordability and demand flexibility can’t wait two to three years for the billing system to catch up.
Austin Energy is offering a Small Business Bundle designed to help qualifying small businesses and nonprofits reduce energy use, lower operating costs and upgrade aging equipment. By bundling three or more energy-saving improvements, including HVAC tune-ups, LED lighting and smart thermostats, participants can access significantly increased incentives, often covering most or all project costs.
Entergy Louisiana utility crews have completed thousands of equipment inspections, patrolled more than 10,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and hardened more than 20,000 poles this year as part of efforts to improve electric reliability and reduce outage and storm restoration costs. The work includes 8,452 equipment inspections, along with 274 targeted reliability inspections and 53,859 pole inspections.
CLEAResult announced it has reached one trillion kilowatt-hours of cumulative lifetime customer energy savings since its founding in 2003. The milestone reflects the lifetime impact of energy efficiency programs delivered across North America over more than two decades. One trillion kWh is equivalent to powering every home in the U.S. for roughly eight months.
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Industry News
Ford’s first all-electric pickup truck didn’t exactly fly off the lot. The automaker is hoping a lower-cost model will fare better. On Thursday, the automaker rolled out a first look at its forthcoming all-electric pickup truck. The Fathom, as Ford is calling it, will start at $28,350 once it’s eligible for preorder early next year, and will headline a planned suite of low-cost EVs.
The promise of virtual power plants is real, but we’re leaving much of their potential on the table – not because the technology isn’t ready, but because participation is still treated like a separate customer chore. In 2024, Wood Mackenzie projected that 217 GW of distributed energy resource capacity will be added in the U.S. by 2028.
Snohomish County PUD is working to expand how it supports customers and communities in building a more sustainable future through its new Go Sustainable! initiative. The program, which launched July 1, creates a way for customers to share sustainability-focused projects, questions and opportunities with the PUD. Residents and business owners can submit ideas related to energy efficiency, water conservation and more.
Until about 10 years ago, homeowners seeking reliable backup power had little choice but to shell out thousands of dollars for a professionally installed standby generator. Stationary batteries added a cleaner, fuel-free choice to the mix, but they can be even more expensive to purchase outright than diesel or natural gas generators, putting them out of reach for most middle-class homeowners.
