Say "bye-bye" to the old-school way of measuring household energy usage. At least 18 million American homes will turn on the national switch of electronic "smart meters" that show customers how much their power use costs them at any given time, allowing them to adjust that use accordingly.Armed with the new gadget, utility companies will be able to know when a meter is in need of repair. Also, the new meters eliminate the need for meter-readers and automatically notify energy providers when the power goes out.
With 18 million more smart meters, the nation's total will be up to 40 million, thanks to $400 thousand to $200 million dollars in stimulus grants according to the Department of Energy.
On Tuesday, 100 utility projects were named that will share $3.4 billion in federal stimulus funding. The goal? To lower energy use, make the electric power grid more robust and speed deployment of advanced technology, a Wall Street Journal article reports. President Obama firmly believes in automating utility substations and installing advanced digital meters throughout the U.S.
How will smart meters help the consumer? According to Department of Energy officials, they'll automate the energy consumption process. The new meters will instantly tell customers how much it costs to consume power at peak times - such as hot summer afternoons. And they will be able to interact with smart thermostats and other household devices to reduce power use automatically.
Also, advanced digital meters are slotted to handle the ups and downs of uneven bursts of energy from solar power systems or wind turbines, allowing greater efficiency of electricity.
In California and Texas, however, millions of smart meters have already been installed by utility companies. Will these states be penalized because they have advanced in smart meters before the stimulus grants were offered?
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