Smart Grid May Reduce Peak Demand

Reducing peak electric power loads is critical to reducing the possibility that we'll rationalize using nuclear power to meet those demands. 

News from the Denver Post that consumers may get important feedback on home electricity use -  in Canada and Boulder anyway. 

MILTON, Ontario — The glowing amber dot on a light switch in the entryway of George Tsapoitis' house offers a clue about the future of electricity.  A few times this summer, when millions of air conditioners strain the Toronto region's power grid, that pencil-tip-size amber dot will blink. It will be asking Tsapoitis to turn the switch off — unless he's already programmed his house to make that move for him.

This is the beginning of a new way of thinking about electricity, and the biggest change in how we get power since wires began veining the landscape a century ago.  Smart-grid technologies have gotten small tests throughout North America, as utilities and regulators scout how to coax people to reduce their demand for power. But there's little doubt it's coming.

Xcel Energy plans to soon begin a $100 million smart-grid project reaching 100,000 homes in Boulder. The grid will create a two-way communication between Xcel and its customers, allowing them to determine peak usage hours and change rates and consumption habits accordingly.

For example, Xcel would be able to charge higher rates during peak hours and lower rates during off-peak hours. Consumers could lower their monthly bills by performing power-consuming tasks, such as running the dishwasher, during off-peak hours.