July 29
Smart Meters Reach Half of Ameren Missouri Customers
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Since beginning deployment in July 2020, Ameren Missouri announced this week that approximately half of its customers have access to smart electric meters in its service territory, thanks to a Smart Energy Plan running a full year ahead of schedule. Smart meters are two-way communication devices meant to nullify the need for service technicians most of the time.
Electric heat pumps will be the most affordable way to heat most single-family homes using clean energy in the U.S. in 2030, according to a study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. In some areas with extreme cold temperatures, the report concludes heat pumps alongside an “alternative fuel backup” for temperatures below 5 degrees Fahrenheit will “generally” minimize costs.
The Berkeley Lab in a new study explores the technoeconomic and demographic factors that influence renewable energy project siting patterns. The study found that siting decisions are primarily driven by technoeconomic factors, especially solar intensity, average wind speeds and access to undeveloped open spaces. The need for undeveloped open spaces tends to drive projects into sparsely populated rural areas.
Higher temperatures across the nation this summer continue to push up electricity use, placing evermore demand on the nation’s power grid and increasing its vulnerability, according to experts, who say grid operators must prepare for and anticipate grid usage to make it as reliable and resilient as possible.
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Industry News
California public power utility Glendale Water & Power (GWP) announced the launch of a new residential program for EV drivers called the Off-Peak EV Charging Rebate program. The program, in partnership with Sagewell, incentivizes EV owners to charge their vehicles overnight on weekdays between 9 p.m. and 12 p.m. and any time on the weekend in exchange for a credit of $8 a month paid out once per year.
A new report issued by the American Public Power Association (APPA) analyzes trends in electrification and identifies hurdles that need to be overcome to realize wider adoption of electrification. The report said that the electrification of end-use technologies offers benefits to the environment and consumers, including lowering carbon emissions and long-term fuel savings.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy officially announced the launch of the third year of the state’s Charge Up New Jersey EV incentive program and unveiled a new Residential Charger Program. The Charge Up Program is currently the country’s largest EV incentive program, with a maximum $4,000 incentive. Over the last two years of the program, over 13,000 EVs were purchased or leased with this incentive.
Recent research by Efficiency Maine makes the case that replacing homes’ entire heating systems with heat pumps can be cost-effective and comfortable, even in Maine’s notoriously cold winters. “Here, it got 21 below last winter,” said George Hardy, who participated in a pilot program as part of the research. “I was a little worried about the heat pumps, but they held out. They kept us warm.”
