August 23
More Efficient Electric Vehicles Can Reduce Grid Stress: ACEEE
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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Improving the efficiency of average EVs could reduce stress on the electric grid, cut charging costs by about a third and slash vehicle prices by almost $5,000, according to research published Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Tesla’s Model Y is the best-selling EV in the U.S. and can go about 3.5 miles/kWh, while many vehicles get closer to 2.5 miles/kWh, according to ACEEE.
On Monday, Ameren Missouri announced it would invest an additional $1 million in its weatherization assistance program. Ameren’s program provides energy-saving home improvements at no cost for qualifying homeowners and renters. The year has already provided over $2 million to support weatherization improvements like caulking, weather stripping, water heater jackets, insulation and more. The $1 million is in addition to the money already invested.
Sixty-one percent of Americans believe that AI systems will prove valuable for their household electricity usage, according to the latest survey from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests and values. Among Americans who have experience with AI systems, such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, this figure rises to 76 percent.
Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer), a locally owned not-for-profit electricity provider headquartered in Rocklin, California, announced today the launch of its PowerShift Rewards program. This program encourages residential customers to manually reduce electricity consumption during periods of high demand – when energy is most expensive – by offering incentives in the form of gift cards.
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Industry News
Exactly two years ago this week, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, establishing a wide array of clean energy programs meant to supercharge spending on climate solutions. Investment in clean energy projects – from solar manufacturing facilities to home batteries to hydrogen hubs – has taken off ever since, rising to record heights in the first half of this year.
In 2022, 77 percent of households and businesses in the U.S. had smart meters, the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Innovation has reported. The Institute further projects that the number of installed smart meters will reach around 134 million in 2024 and 142 million in 2026. In its latest annual smart meter brief, the Institute points to smart meters continuing to be an important technology for the electric power industry.
California has given America a glimpse at what running one of the world’s largest economies on renewable energy might look like. The state recently hit a milestone: 100 days this year with 100-percent carbon-free, renewable electricity for at least a part of each day, as tracked by Stanford University engineering Professor Mark Z. Jacobson.
The Energy Information Administration expects power plant developers and owners will add 62.8 GW this year in the United States, up 55 percent from 2023 when 40.4 GW came online, the agency said Monday. Developers and power plant owners brought 20.2 GW online in the first six months this year, adding 3.6 GW, or 21 percent, more than in the same period last year, the EIA said.
