Metering and Smart Energy Rose Bundock September 7, 2015
In the US, northern Illinois utility Commonwealth Edison is promoting energy management tools to its user base of 1.4 million smart meters.
ComEd has a suite of five online energy management tools including Personalised Energy-Management Tools, where users can access free personalised energy saving tips, set savings goals, and enrol in high-usage alerts that notify them when their electricity is trending higher than usual for the household.
Peak Time Savings (PTS) will help customers save by voluntarily reducing electricity use during designated time periods when energy is most in demand.
Currently more than 58,000 ComEd customers are enrolled in the programme and can earn US$1 credit on their electric bills for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity they reduce during PTS hours.
On 1 September, ComEd opened Peak Time Savings Hours and customers enrolled in this program saved a total of US$88,000, according to the utility.
Hourly pricing programme
The Residential Real Time Pricing programme is an hourly pricing programme that allows residential customers to pay the hourly prices for electricity, which means customers can save by using electricity when prices are lower.
Participants also receive customer support and services to help manage costs with hourly pricing. Services include real-time high price alerts, predicted day-ahead high price alerts, an online bill comparison tool, and information to help guide energy decisions.
Energy Insights Online monitors a building’s electricity consumption and converts this data into easy-to-understand usage graphs and reports that can be accessed online.
As part of the utility’s US$2.6 billion modernisation program, all of ComEd’s nearly four million customers will receive smart meters by the end of 2018.
The last tool is the Business Energy Analyser, which assesses a businesses electricity usage month-to-month or year-to-year.
Business customers are able to receive personalised energy efficiency tips based on their usage, identify potential cost savings and set energy efficiency goals, and understand how their electricity usage compares with similar businesses, said the utility in a statement.
ComEd energy efficiency and smart grid
ComEd also has an active customer energy efficiency programme and offers tips on cutting usage by better managing air conditioning.
ComEd is also a supporter of smart grid adoption and realised ComEd’s Future Energy Plan, which outlines how the state economy will benefit from a more secure and resilient grid.