Austin Goes Carbon Neutral. In 2. 00. 7, the city of Austin set out to accomplish a lofty goal — become 1. With eight years until its self- appointed deadline, the city continues to make strides to not only reduce its energy consumption, but also — and perhaps most importantly — create a culture of sustainability and conservation among its 1. Everything has evolved since we initiated the plan in 2. Zach Baumer, Austin’s climate protection program manager.
Green pricing is an optional utility service that allows customers an opportunity to support a greater level of utility. Austin Energy (City of Austin. Puget Sound Energy: Green Power Program: wind, hydro, biogas. NREL names top 10 utilities for renewable energy. Green Pricing Program Renewable Energy Sales. Portland General Electric 834,125. Austin Energy, 744,443. Austin Energy to Revise Wind Energy Charge Austin Energy will be. Austin Energy expects Batch 6 to sell well under the revised pricing.
It is becoming ingrained in the culture of the city.”In 2. No. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Top 2. Local Government list of green power purchasers — ranked by annual green power usage. Austin sells more renewable energy through a utility- sponsored, voluntary green- pricing energy program than any of the 8. City officials are quick to point out that Houston ranked No.
Wh). However, that represents only 3. Austin’s purchase of 4. Wh represents 1. 00 percent of municipal energy usage.
Making the push to 1. The Austin American- Statesman reported that using renewable energy cost an additional $8. While the fuel charge rose from roughly 3 cents per k.
- Recent power purchases increased Austin Energy’s renewable portfolio to 27% in 2013!! Additional goal to reduce carbon emission levels 20% below. Nation’s most successful green-pricing program for 9 years in a row!!
- The Garage was awarded a 3-star rating from the Austin Energy Green Building Program. Throughout this past year we have been working with Austin Energy and several faculty.
Latest News Stakeholder Comment. Green-e Energy Certifies Austin Energy's GreenChoice Program January 6, 2011. Green-e Certifies Lower Valley Energy's Green Pricing Program.
Wh to 5. 7 cents per k. Wh with the renewable energy program, Green. Choice, the city is locked into that rate for the next 1.
It did cost more in the short term,” Baumer said, “but the analysis was done, and we expect it will save us way more over the long term.”Given the tough budgetary climate for municipal governments, and the price sensitivity many households are facing, making the push to carbon neutral is going to be a delicate balance of sustainability and affordability.“We’ve set some very ambitious policy goals for our utility as it relates to utilizing renewables,” said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell during his 2. State of the City Address.
It’s not just a question of . For example, the fire department and EMS are going to place saving lives ahead of saving gas.“We continue working to incorporate it into the organizational culture, because the kinds of things we’re changing have to go all the way through the system to every employee,” Baumer said. We always try to tie what we’re doing back to innovation and sustainability.”In addition to instilling an attitude of sustainability, specific goals for the city include converting its entire fleet of vehicles to renewable or hybrid consumption and achieving 7.
MW of new savings through energy efficiency and conservation — both by 2. In 2. 01. 1, the city emitted 1.
CO2, marking the fourth straight year of steady declines since the city’s climate resolution was introduced. In 2. 00. 7, that number was nearly 3. As of 2. 01. 1, 6. That includes more than 2. B2. 0 biodiesel blend.
While the city doesn’t have as much control over outside contractors, such as the public transportation system, it is working with them to promote and encourage renewable fuels. Since 2. 00. 7, the city has increased purchases of E8. B2. 0 to more than 1. In 2. 01. 0, E8. 5 and B2.
The city also performs a life cycle cost analysis to ensure a certain vehicle makes the most sense over the long term.“When looking to purchase a vehicle, we typically analyze four vehicle choices and compare them based on lifetime cost of ownership and environmental performance,” Baumer said. We also calculate lifetime .
These are all compared, and the vehicle with the lowest cost of ownership and the lowest environmental impact wins.”Though the goal is to become carbon neutral by 2. Our approach is that we reduce our positive carbon use as much as we can, and then we offset whatever’s left,” Baumer said. The purchase of offsets will fund a range of greenhouse- gas- reduction programs that over time will also help improve the environmental quality in central Texas. There certainly will be infrastructure challenges, such as large construction vehicles, in which there is no viable electric or hybrid option at this point, and other large equipment, such as generators or refrigerants, that will continue to emit some greenhouse gases.“We’re trying to do everything we can to minimize usage, and switch what we can.
We are finding ways to increase efficiency, and all of that will help,” Baumer said. The push for all city operations to become carbon neutral is just one component of the city’s larger climate protection plan, however. While it’s not necessarily part of achieving its goal of carbon neutrality by 2. Austin’s electricity is used by homes and businesses.
We are always rethinking our public education programs.”The city has created the Austin Green Business Leaders program, an ongoing program open to businesses of all sizes and all industries. The program’s central tool is the green business scorecard, which helps businesses assess and implement sustainability practices.
Companies earn points for taking actions listed in the scorecard, and depending on their score, can progress through silver, gold and platinum levels of recognition. After completing the scorecard, businesses are provided recognition and a toolkit to promote their company as an Austin Green Business Leader.“I’ve often said, .
Smart meter - Wikipedia. Example of a smart meter based on Open smart grid protocol (OSGP) in use in Europe that has the ability to reduce load, disconnect- reconnect remotely, and interface to gas and water meters. Unlike home energy monitors, smart meters can gather data for remote reporting. Such an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) differs from traditional automatic meter reading (AMR) in that it enables two- way communications with the meter.
Overview. These additional features are more than simple automated meter reading (AMR). They are similar in many respects to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters. Interval and time- of- use meters historically have been installed to measure commercial and industrial customers, but may not have automatic reading. Research by Which?, the UK consumer group, showed that as many as one in three confuse smart meters with energy monitors, also known as in- home display monitors.
While energy suppliers in the UK could save around . For example, time of use tariffs offering lower rates at off- peak times, and selling electricity back to the grid with net metering, may also benefit consumers. The installed base of smart meters in Europe at the end of 2. Berg Insight. This technology was a spin- off of the automatic telephone line identification system, now known as Caller ID. In 1. 97. 4, Mr. Paraskevakos was awarded a U. S. Since this system was developed pre- Internet, Metretek utilized the IBM series 1 mini- computer.
For this approach, Mr. Paraskevakos and Metretek were awarded multiple patents. Traditional electrical and gas meters only measure total consumption, and so provide no information of when the energy was consumed at each metered site. These include, a) an end to estimated bills, which are a major source of complaints for many customers b) a tool to help consumers better manage their energy purchases - stating that smart meters with a display outside their homes could provide up- to- date information on gas and electricity consumption and in doing so help people to manage their energy use and reduce their energy bills. Electricity pricing usually peaks at certain predictable times of the day and the season.
In particular, if generation is constrained, prices can rise if power from other jurisdictions or more costly generation is brought online. Proponents assert that billing customers at a higher rate for peak times will encourage consumers to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices and assert further, that regulatory and market design agencies hope these . This is the most extensive study of its kind (as of January 2. Their conclusion was: . The rollout commenced in mid- 2.
Home Area Network will be available for households in 2. In May 2. 01. 0 it was reported that the program was expected to cost $5. The incoming coalition stated that the meter program would be reviewed and the Auditor General's recommendations implemented, specifically commenting on program governance, customer data protection, and cost recovery. The Government of Ontario set a target of deploying smart meters to 8.
The utility company, BC Hydro, is not legally obliged to abide by these city decisions. Both options have an additional monthly negative option fee of $3.
Between 2. 00. 0 and 2. Enel deployed smart meters to its entire customer base. These meters are fully electronic and smart, with integrated bi- directional communications, advanced power measurement and management capabilities, an integrated, software- controllable disconnect switch, and an all solid- state design. They communicate over low voltage power line using standards- based power line technology from Echelon Corporation to Echelon data concentrators at which point they communicate via IP to Enel's enterprise servers.
Demonstrating that with power line communication, smart meters don't require Wi. Fi radios. Public utilities have started to test metering with integrated communication devices. Private entities have already implemented efficient energy systems with integrated feedback methods such as alerts or triggers. Netherlands. In 2. Dutch government proposed that all seven million households of the country should have a smart meter by 2. In August 2. 00. 8 the roll out of these seven million meters was delayed for several reasons. Main reasons for the delay were that there was limited possibility foreseen to register small scale local energy production (e.
Instead of a mandatory roll- out smart meters will be voluntary. By late 2. 00. 6, over 6,3. On June 2. 8, 2. 00. Christchurch. Dr Jan Wright called for government leadership for this . Soon activities spread to the other Nordic countries.
Vattenfall, Fortum, and E. ON decided to deploy AMM in Finland as well as in Sweden, as the leading industry players in both countries at the time. Developments in Denmark took off in 2. Norway has taken a more cautious stance, but in June 2.
Norwegian energy authority, NVE, declared that it would recommend new legislation requiring smart meters to take effect in 2. As of August 2. 00. DSOs in Sweden had signed contracts for AMM solutions. Norway was lagging behind with just 6 percent. Altogether contracts for nearly 8 million smart meters are still open in the Nordic region. Information gathered from .
Three major energy players act in the country, Endesa, Iberdrola, and Gas Natural/Uni. ESMA (2. 01. 0, 2. Spain. By 2. 01. 3, Endesa has replaced about 3. Meters and More technology), of about 3. Regulations existing in Spain related to implementation of smart meters: RD 1.
Order to the Regulator (Comisi. The aim is to support remote energy management systems. The plan is managed by the Ministry of Industry, with a deadline for the completion of the plan by 3. December 2. 01. 8. All DSOs had to submit their substitution plans to the regional governments.
A binding target of 3. This initial target could not be reached by any of the DSOs, however, due to a late approval of the substitution plan (in May 2. June 2. 01. 0 and ongoing negotiations with the regulators about the level of cost acceptance. United Kingdom. The consultation attached the necessary draft regulations and proposed that from 2. SME sector, where it has been shown to be cost- effective to do so and where such a meter is not already installed. As well as the DCC, the government established Smart Energy GB to lead the nationwide publicity for the rollout programme. Most households will have smart meters installed by their energy company between 2.
These look at the potential costs and benefits of rolling out smart meters to suppliers, network operators, customers, and Britain as a whole. The Government tested the time needed for the design, build and test phases of industry. The consistent message was that more time was needed if the roll- out of smart meters were to get off to the best possible start and if customers were to be sure of a quality service. The Government therefore now expects that the smart meter roll- outs will be completed by the end of 2.
For example, there has been concern that consumers may experience pressure selling while energy representatives are in their homes fitting meters. This was well behind schedule to hit the Government. These meters report electricity consumption on an hourly basis. This enables PG& E to set pricing that varies by season and time- of- the day, rewarding customers who shift energy use to off- peak periods.
The peak pricing program will start out on a voluntary basis and the full rollout is expected to take five years. LADWP has already purchased 9,0. This process will take about three years to complete.
Some features, such as energy budgeting and tracking and personalized energy efficiency tips will be available by 2. Additional features will follow in 2. Austin Energy, the nation's ninth largest community- owned electric utility, with nearly 4.
Austin, Texas, began deploying a two- way RF mesh network and approximately 2. More than 1. 65,0. AE's meter data management system is underway. A previous project in 2.
Current estimated completion of Center. Point Energy's smart meter deployment is 2.
Department of Energy awarded a $2. Centerpoint Energy's smart meter network. The Oncor Advanced Metering System (AMS) currently supports 1.
Home Area Network (HAN) using Zig. Bee Smart Energy Protocol 1. The AMS supports text messages, pricing signals, and load control to home users through the Smart Meter Texas Portal which is a joint project by Oncor, Center. Point, and AEP Texas under the direction of the Texas Public Utility Commission. Several retail electric providers including TXU Energy and Direct Energy have introduced rate plans that leverage smart meters to incentivize customers who shift load to off- peak hours. Excluding TNMP (PNM Resources), smart meter conversion rates for commercial and residential customers in utilities open to retail electric competition were in excess of 9. January 2. 01. 5.
All customers are expected to be completed by 2. The project costs $3. The dynamic pricing program is opt- in and the data is also used to study consumer behavior. Honeywell installed the smart meter network as part of a broader program mostly unrelated to smart meters.
The program was purchased as part of an unusual $1. In June 2. 00. 8 ERDF awarded the AMM pilot project to a consortium managed by Atos Origin, including Actaris, Landis+Gyr, and Iskraemeco. The aim of the trial is to deploy 3. Indre- et- Loire (3.
Lyon urban region (6. This project affecting 1% of LV customers is a precursor to national deployment for 3. France. The experimentation phase started in March 2. A key determining factor will be the interoperability of the equipment of various suppliers.
The general deployment phase, involving replacement of 3. December 2. 01. 5 and continue through 2. From 2. 01. 0, various cities as Paris, Lyon, Grasse.. AMR technology) in each apartment belonging to the city. This project has to purpose to improve the efficiency of the water management.