The proper functioning of the United States power grid is the most important yet least thought about pieces of our unseen infrastructure puzzle. If we were without the constant supply of electricity that we seem to take for granted, our civilization would be an entirely different place. People rarely think about the mind boggling amount of electricity that is used every year, and how much is required to keep the country running at the rate it does. “The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the average home uses about 11,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually.” The majority of electricity used in the country is used during what is known as “peak hours.” These hours are in the afternoon and early evening.

Demand Response is an intelligent and hassle-free way for the average electricity consumer to be smarter about the amount of power they use in a day. By reducing the amount of power that is available during non-peak hours, consumers can rest assured that they aren’t being charged for electricity when they are, in all probability, not really using it. This is also beneficial to the macro-scale of the US power grid, as less kilowatts need to be produced to power homes, and a little savings over the entire scale of the country can make some huge differences in total.

The other aspect of demand response technology that makes good rational sense is known as “dynamic pricing.” To explain dynamic pricing we can quote the science informational source How Stuff Works. “If you want to use your dishwasher during peak times, you pay more. With dynamic pricing, consumers are offered rate discounts during normal usage periods and charged higher rates during peak times.”

This means that consumers should feel inclined to use their electronic appliances, especially the ones that suck up more power like washing machines, during hours where less power is required to be supplied by the grid. Since the consumer is using energy at a more responsible time, the grid is less burdened to provide energy and the consumer can be rewarded by paying less for this energy.

Another exciting technology of the future in regards to electricity usage is what is called a “smart grid.” While some might get images of the rogue artificial intelligence HAL-9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, in reality a smart grid is simply an updated version of the current power grid that can, “automate the flow of electricity as needed, identify and isolate load problems; it would also be able to handle uneven supplies of energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar power.” Unfortunately, a smart grid can only communicate with “smart” households, which means that homeowners will need to either install compatible systems themselves, or the government will have to mandate their use in future housing projects.

Demand response is a green initiative that could have real positive benefits to both consumers’ wallets and the environment alike.

Sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/pubs/marketReports/monthly/2006sep.pdf

http://www.thestar.com/business/2007/08/06/a_megawatt_saved_is_a_negawatt_earned.html