On October 8, 2009
Saving Energy Through Information
The cheapest form of electricity is often “negawatts” — reducing demand rather than generating new energy. But there’s a dizzying array of ideas for how to do so, from smart meters to home efficiency upgrades to informational campaigns. Some projects turn out to actually be quite expensive. So it’s nice to hear from Opower, formerly Positive Energy, which has a decidedly cheap, low-tech way of reducing energy consumption: they send people a letter. Opower popped up last week with an announcement of 20 utility partners, including some big names like Dominion and Xcel Energy. One customer, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, found that it was on track to achieve an average 2.8 percent reduction in electricity usage using Opower. In…
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