Power to save if you have time to be smart about it

Sun Herald
Sunday 8/3/2009 Page: 32

AUSTRALIAN families will soon be able to track their energy use via home computer while potentially having the power to switch household electrical appliances on and off with a mobile phone. A free internet-based gadget will allow people with "smart" meters to monitor electricity use as it happens instead of having to wait every three months for a bill.

Electricity providers and the software developers say the combined technology will cut hundreds of dollars from annual household energy costs. A Google spokesman said the PowerMeter software, which measures the electricity used by appliances, would be available as an add-on to internet homepages before year's end.

We think consumers have a right to access detailed information about their home electricity usage throughout the day, to help save money and make smart energy decisions," he said. Google claims consumers will save up to 15% on bills by using PowerMeter to analyse their energy usage.

NSW Government-owned electricity provider EnergyAustralia has installed about 400,000 "smart" meters as part of a five year national rollout. These meters charge a higher tariff in peak periods, and lower amounts for shoulder and off peak periods.

EnergyAustralia spokesman Anthony O'Brien said a two-year trial of 1200 home monitors found 20 to 25% of consumers switched to off-peak use for certain appliances, with families saving an average of 20% on energy bills. But products such as PowerMeter needed an upgraded "intelligent" electricity grid and a second generation of smart meters to be truly effective.

About 10,000 such advanced smart meters had so far been installed in NSW, allowing remote meter-reading and online access to household electricity use. Providers will also be able to respond to "brownouts" by shutting off power to certain areas.

"The potential applications are huge," Mr O'Brien said. "smart meters enable a whole range of interesting possibilities. "What will be interesting from the consumer point of view will be the access to real-time information in the home." A $170 million intelligent network program is expected to be rolled out within a decade.

"You can picture what it will be like," Mr O'Brien said. "Your electric car can be plugged in and charged at a time when the price is cheaper. You can log onto the network from work through a remote-controlled device [online phone or computer] to control your home air-conditioner and set the dishwasher to run." Stakeholders have praised smart meters, but others are viewing them with more caution.

Indeed, some early take-up customers have reported bills rising as they are unable to adjust their energy habits outside peak hours, while others with smart meters have complained of problems trying to swap providers. Clean Energy Council chief Matthew Warren said smart metering would be "pivotal in driving energy efficiency".

NSW Department of Water and Energy executive director Peter Leihn said the challenge for Google would be making the software simple enough for most energy consumers to use. "The real-time feedback is going to be a positive thing," he said.

CSIRO researcher Glen Platt said PowerMeter was restricted to customers who can use and access the internet. The CSIRO has been developing in-house monitors - due in five years - that provide real-time information without requiring computer know-how. "We're working on ways to get benefits like 16% savings without having to be technologically savvy and it won't affect lifestyle and comfort," Dr Platt said.