August 18
ComEd Reveals $231 Million Electrification Investment
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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Working with regional and municipal leaders, ComEd of Illinois announced a slew of programs this week meant to accelerate adoption of electrified technologies in the region. The programs were part of a $231 million investment meant to remove barriers to electrification. These include a new EV Charging Delivery Rate option for all nonresidential customers with EV charging.
On July 27, the U.S. Department of Energy released guidance for the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) two home energy rebate programs – the Home Efficiency Rebates Program (previously HOMES) and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program (previously HEEHRA). This signals the beginning of the application process for states and territories and is an exciting milestone for households interested in energy efficiency and electrification upgrades across the country.
Hong Kong’s electricity distributor and transmitter CLP Power Hong Kong Limited has announced installation of two million smart meters for more than 70 percent of its customers. CLP Power has been replacing traditional meters since 2018 to enhance the reliability of power supply in the utility’s operating areas. Installation is expected to be completed by 2025.
As part of a major clean energy transition push, Xcel Energy issued a request for proposals in Wisconsin last week, opening the door for developers to consider an approximately 650 MW renewable energy replacement for the coal-fired King plant. The King plant operates along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border but is scheduled to retire in 2028.
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As an increasing supply of renewable energy resources requires greater reliability and resiliency for the power grid, virtual power plants are emerging as one way to ensure the supply of electricity always meets the demand. “In the future, grids are going to need to be much more flexible,” said Severin Borenstein, Faculty Director of the Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Michelle Moore, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Groundswell, sees a world of new opportunities opening up for the churches, colleges and community centers her organization helps to access clean energy. The key to unlocking that opportunity? Two words: “Direct pay.”
For more than a million families this summer, escaping the extreme heat will mean facing high energy bills they can’t pay. With temperatures continuing to hover in the 90s and 100s, the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) said the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is there to help those families.
Michael Overend and Lucy Grina love to show visitors around their home, a modest four-bedroom rambler, built in 1965 on a gravel road just north of Duluth, Minnesota. The couple’s pride, however, did not always extend to one feature: the utility bills. “We were embarrassed about how much heat this old house was leaking,” Overend said, “and we were cold a lot.”
