Comments on: Negawatts a competive threat to Megawatts http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2006/06/17/negawatts-a-competive-threat-to-megawatts/ Trends, happenings and innovations in the clean technology market Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:38:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2006/06/17/negawatts-a-competive-threat-to-megawatts/comment-page-1/#comment-476 Anonymous Sun, 18 Jun 2006 13:43:20 +0000 http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2006/06/17/negawatts-a-competive-threat-to-megawatts/#comment-476 Woodstock Hydro's opt-in system uses a kitchen-counter mounted real-time display/ processing unit informed by the client's hydro meter. One lady noted that it helped her realize her fridge needed servicing, since she saw her consumption (electricity, not sandwiches) go up all of a sudden, and started turning off and unplugging things until all was left was the fridge. Another said she is quite well off, thank-you, and that she opted-in to show her teenage daughters the value of loads and loads of laundry, to prepare them for life in the real world, real soon. (The meter informs you in dollars, not KwH or whatever.) Another's child was in the habit of drying her mittens in the dryer during lunch, then going back out to play. Now Dad makes sure she has a second set of mitts by the door instead. Woodstock's system also uses Pay-As-You-Go cards, which users fill at Convenience or Gas Bar kiosks. This way electricity is seen as a spare commodity, not an endless supply, since the bottom of the card is always coming toward you on the meter in the kitchen. The kitchen meter also watches your consumption and tells you how many days you have left on the card at that rate. This has been in operation for over a decade there. Woodstock, -yes Ontario. Woodstock Hydro’s opt-in system uses a kitchen-counter mounted real-time display/ processing unit informed by the client’s hydro meter. One lady noted that it helped her realize her fridge needed servicing, since she saw her consumption (electricity, not sandwiches) go up all of a sudden, and started turning off and unplugging things until all was left was the fridge. Another said she is quite well off, thank-you, and that she opted-in to show her teenage daughters the value of loads and loads of laundry, to prepare them for life in the real world, real soon. (The meter informs you in dollars, not KwH or whatever.) Another’s child was in the habit of drying her mittens in the dryer during lunch, then going back out to play. Now Dad makes sure she has a second set of mitts by the door instead. Woodstock’s system also uses Pay-As-You-Go cards, which users fill at Convenience or Gas Bar kiosks. This way electricity is seen as a spare commodity, not an endless supply, since the bottom of the card is always coming toward you on the meter in the kitchen. The kitchen meter also watches your consumption and tells you how many days you have left on the card at that rate. This has been in operation for over a decade there. Woodstock, -yes Ontario.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2006/06/17/negawatts-a-competive-threat-to-megawatts/comment-page-1/#comment-475 Anonymous Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:48:33 +0000 http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2006/06/17/negawatts-a-competive-threat-to-megawatts/#comment-475 "I think the only thing missing from the Toronto Hydro program is that it doesn't provide any software (and real-time feedback) allowing customers to make the most of their conservation efforts." In my best superhero voice.. "This sounds like a job for - BlueLine Innovations!" - http://www.bluelineinnovations.com I agree with you that people find it easiest to conserve when they realize exactly how much power they are consuming in real-time. The blueline meter does this. I use a "Kill-a-watt" meter to monitor most of my in-house usage and it helps me out a lot. “I think the only thing missing from the Toronto Hydro program is that it doesn’t provide any software (and real-time feedback) allowing customers to make the most of their conservation efforts.”

In my best superhero voice.. “This sounds like a job for – BlueLine Innovations!” – http://www.bluelineinnovations.com

I agree with you that people find it easiest to conserve when they realize exactly how much power they are consuming in real-time. The blueline meter does this. I use a “Kill-a-watt” meter to monitor most of my in-house usage and it helps me out a lot.

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