People Who Have Access To Power Meter Data Reduce Their Energy Use: Study
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The simplest way to cut down on energy use isn't to build millions of brand-new LEED-certified buildings; it's to convince people to make changes themselves. And sometimes, having access to energy consumption data--and a friendly nudge to compete with neighbors--is enough to get people to do just that. According to a study [PDF] from the Environmental Defense Fund and energy-management software company OPower, Americans who get better power meter data (from both regular and smart meters) cut energy consumption by an average of 1.8% in the first year.
The study, which followed 750,000 homes in six states, offered home energy reports containing information about energy usage and, most importantly, comparing that data to neighbors' usage.
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The result: homes that received the reports homes slashed energy consumption between 0.9% and 2.9% annually. That sounds like a small amount, but the EDF estimates that cutting residential electricity usage across the U.S by 1.8% would save over 26,000 GWh of electricity, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8.9 million metric tons of CO2 each year (equivalent to the emissions of three 500 MW coal-fired plants), and help households save a combined total of over $3 billion dollars per year on electricity. That's a lot of energy savings just for redesigning a bill.
The whole "compare your energy use to your neighbor" thing has been tried before--it was the basis for the Tidy Streets project, and Microsoft already allows users to do it on its Hohmwebsite. The Hohm site, which has been around for a year, hasn't taken off yet, but the OPower study proves that it could actually be effective in getting people to be serious about energy consumption.
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