Smart-grid project: Put in-home customers first
A smart-energy project in Austin, Texas, says it would be better to fund testing and development of a smart grid structured around in-home consumer technologies rather than large utility systems.
Pecan Street Project has released a request for information (RFI) that puts home energy users, rather than utilities, at the center of smart-grid development. The organisation argues that national smart-grid efforts will be hampered without a stronger focus on customer products and services.
“For smart grid to be truly transformative, the magic has to happen inside the house, and that’s where we’re going to focus our attention,” said Brewster McCracken, executive director of the Pecan Street Project. “We know that utility-side improvements will play an integral role in solving major energy, economic and environmental challenges. But customer value can’t be an after-thought. Instead of imposing solutions on customers, smart grid must address these challenges by creating products and services that customers will value and voluntarily adopt.”
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