Smart Meters save money for everyone - even Con Ed

Smart Meters save money for everyone - even Con Ed
Monday, August 4th 2008, 7:32 PM


Eric Gioia, City Councilman
Be Our Guest: Eric Gioia, City Councilman


These days, the price of everything is going up - gas, rent, groceries - not least of all New Yorkers' energy bills. On top of a 4.9% increase in April, New Yorkers are looking at a 22% increase this summer. In the midst of the summer heat wave, that's a wallop.

New digital technology - called Smart Meters - has allowed customers elsewhere to cut their bills by 10%, but here in New York, Con Ed continues to rely on 19th century technology to power a 21st century city. This is why I have proposed mandating that Con Ed install Smart Meters in all new buildings, and by 2011 have all meters in New York City be converted to Smart Meters.

Smart Meters take the place of old meters by using digital technology to help streamline service for consumers in real time. The ability to know when prices are high, and when they are low, allows the consumer to save money on their bills by adjusting their consumption. According to a year-long study by the U.S Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, consumers in the Smart Meter system saved 10% on their power bills, and cut their power use by 15% during peak hours. Utility companies also rely less on on-site inspections, saving consumers' time, and giving the utilities a better ability to track outages digitally.

Smart Meters will help prevent blackouts and will help to green the city as New York's power grid suffers the strains of an aging infrastructure. The national power grid has remained generally unchanged since it was first erected at the end of the 19th century. Large power plants deliver power in a massively inefficient system which requires investment in infrastructure that is often not used to its full capacity, and wastes fuel. Smart Meters help customers relieve the stress on the grid. Since the power plants run more efficiently, and since consumers can regulate their own power, less energy is used, and there is less waste.

Con Ed is falling behind the rest of the world. In April of last year, the British government announced plans for every household to obtain a Smart Meter. Italian utility Enel SpA undertook the largest Smart Meter implementation with more than 27 million meters given to customers between 2000 and 2005, with an average saving of 500 euros per year, effectively paying back the 2 billion euro investment in a four-year period. Other nations using Smart Meter technologies include Turkey, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Smart Meter technologies are currently deployed in the United States. In Boulder, Colo., Minneapolis-based utility Xcel launched a $100 million program to implement the Smart Grid. The project, announced in May 2008, will be completed in 2009, and will include smart meters in all homes. In Austin, Tex., 200,000 meters are currently Smart Meters, and by the first quarter of 2009, Austin Energy will have 500,000 Smart Grid devices.

By mandating Smart Meters in all new buildings, and by pushing for Smart Meters in all buildings by 2011, New Yorkers can lower their bills, help the environment and prevent blackouts. Smart Meters are precisely the kind of infrastructure that Con Ed needs to invest in as New York moves into the 21st century in order to ensure New York does not fall further behind the energy technology curve. Installing Smart Meters will ensure that New York remains a global capital and leader in green technologies, along with leaving a cleaner, more sustainable city for our children. Smart Meters are the smart choice for New York.

City Councilman Eric Gioia's district includes Long Island City, Woodside and Sunnyside.'Con Ed is falling behind the rest of the world.'