The Smart Grid: A New Way To Look At Energy

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to gather with a group of local bloggers at Alana's (amazing restaurant with to-die-for food!) to learn more about the GridSmart program through our local energy provider, AEP. Like most readers, I pay my electric bill each month, groaning at how much I'm spending but never really thinking about how much energy we're using or how that energy is managed and delivered to us.

AEP is starting a pilot program of SmartGrid technology (provided by Silver Springs Networks) in the northeast corner of Columbus to evaluate if this technology could help better manage energy consumption, reduce outages, save consumers money by allowing them to participate in choosing how they pay for their energy use, and develop more environmentally friendly ways to save and generate energy.

At the moment, a meter reader comes to our house each month and we get a bill for the total amount for that month. I can't tell if I'm using a lot of energy one day and not as much the next, and I have little control over keeping track of my energy usage during the month. Now imagine that my meter was digital with a chip that constantly transmitted data back and forth across a secure network between my house and AEP. This network is vast and allows the energy company to manage and track energy in regions, in neighborhoods, and even your own house. I'd also have complete access to my home's energy usage with the ability to track it down to fractions of an hour.

old meter on the left, digital smart meter on the right

One enormous benefit of this new technology is reducing the number and length of power outages. If the meter can communicate back and forth with the power company, they won't need to rely on phone calls to tell them there is an outage - the system will tell them who has no power and where the problem is. Also, power can be re-routed for many people with this network, making it easier to get the lights back on even faster for most people. Another component will feature a battery-backup to be shared by several neighbors, so your power can shift over to a local battery backup until repairs can be made.

This new technology will also allow consumers to opt in to new models for buying their electricity. Energy consumption is highest during the afternoon, especially in the summer when everyone is trying to keep their homes cool. New pricing options might include paying a lower cost for off-peak energy usage, but a slightly higher cost for peak periods - this would be perfect for families who are out of the house during those hours and don't need a large amount of energy during that time. Best of all - you can opt-in only if the plan fits you!

Another proposed program - called SmartCooling - would give a communicable digital thermostat to homes with the agreement that on summer days of extremely high energy usage the power company could increase your thermostat by up to 4 degrees for a couple of hours to help with the burden on the grid. In exchange, you'd receive an $8 credit on your bill every month, including months when it's not needed. And you could opt-out at any time, either for a single event or for the entire program all together.

Personally, I love these ideas and only wish this program was already in my part of Columbus. I'm a control-freak over my money, so being able to see daily or even hourly energy usage in my home would be awesome. I'd get a kick out of trying new things and seeing how much of a difference it made in our usage.

Some might argue that the SmartGrid technology is an intrusion and affects our privacy, but I don't see the argument. The privacy and encryption controls used by AEP are similar to the ones used by banks for online banking. The number of people who would have access to my private records would be small, and honestly, I don't care that much if people see how much energy we use.

Knowing that AEP would be able to better predict and prepare for peaks in energy use and therefore reduce their need for additional fossil fuel burning plants is well worth any minor risks to privacy. And having fewer and shorter power outages is an enormous benefit as well. I see the GridSmart program as a way for AEP to be more transparent with consumers about energy generation and consumption. And hey, digitally reading the meter is way better than having a meter reader tromping around my backyard!

SmartGrid technology is the way of the future, and Columbus is lucky to be one of the early-adopter markets. Other cities have integrated the SmartGrid technology ahead of us with great results, and I'm hopeful we'll see the same benefits here as well. Saving money through better use of resources, all while providing greater access to my personal energy use information and making me a more informed consumer sounds like a great idea to me, and I only wish they'd hurry up and implement this in my part of Columbus!

The GridSmartOhio website also features a huge amount of energy savings tips even if you're not on the pilot program. Take a look to learn how LED Christmas lights can save you money, and how to recycle your energy-efficient CFL lightbulbs. 

Full disclosure: I wrote this post after attending an informational luncheon on behalf of Silver Spring Networks and Mom Central Consulting and received a gift bag and gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate.

Staples Makes Back To School Shopping Easy

I was not thrilled to receive my daughter's school supply list last week. It was long and very specific and immediately gave me a headache. I mean, for goodness sakes, she's only going into kindergarten! Does she really need two spiral bound notebooks, folders with brackets inside them, glue sticks and headphones for the computer, along with crayons, markers, glue sticks, scissors, erasers, hand sanitizer and tissues? Whatever happened to bringing a blanket, a pillow and some crayons to kindergarten?

However, I know I can always turn to Staples to have everything I need for back-to-school. I love how they have everything on my list, organized in such a way to make shopping quick and easy, with the variety to keep my picky five year old happy. (Everything must be blue this year. Ugh.)

Mom Select and Staples teamed up to send me a small sampling of the great school supplies Staples is offering this year. Some of my favorites:

Do Something.org notebooks, folders, and planners - These products are exclusive to Staples and help students stay organized while learning about important issues impacting their communities. Each product features cool designs including background on social issues and tips on how students can make a difference. I'm using the planner to keep track of my daughter's school assignments and school functions, while she was thrilled to find a blue notebook and folder included in the box, and crossed those items off of her school supply list right away.

Westcott KleenEarth products - These products are eco-conscious and include environmental features such as handles made from recycled content. Bonus: they also have Microban antibacterial protection, perfect for using around kids who prefer the back of their hand to a tissue. We received a pair of scissors (checking off the supply list!), a sharpener for pencils and crayons, and a ruler. Cordy already loves the scissors with the bright orange handles!

Staples Soccer Buddy Calculator - Cordy doesn't use a calculator yet, but she wants to learn now that she's found this new blue friend! It's bendy and features a fun mini-soccer ball to help achieve all her math "goals" - OK, bad pun, but she's already named it "Blue number guy" so I think it's here to stay.

Omnitech 2GB Swivel Flash Drive - Another Staples exclusive, this flash drive will make sure you never lose the cap again. Just swivel to click it into place and it's ready to travel in your backpack or purse. This thing is genius - I can't tell you how many flash drive caps I've lost and how many flash drives I've ruined from bending the metal connectors. I wish all flash drives were made like this!

Many of these items are already in my daughter's backpack, waiting for her first day of school on Wednesday. The items we didn't need are being donated to the school to help provide supplies for other kids who can't afford them.

Want to win some back-to-school goodies for yourself?

I've got one $25 Staples gift card to give to a lucky reader! To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite school supply to buy when you were a kid. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you are selected! One entry per person/household, please - if I find you cheating, your entries will be deleted.

US residents only. Entries will be accepted until Friday, August 27 at 11:59pm Eastern time. One winner will be selected at random from available entries using Random.org. Winner has three days to respond or another winner will be selected.

Good luck and happy back-to-school shopping!

Full disclosure: I received a box of the supplies listed above from Staples to facilitate my review. No further compensation was received. All opinions of these products are my own - no guarantee of a positive review was promised nor expected.

A Better Wipe For Your Counters

There was a time when I believed that the only way to know something was truly clean was the scrub it down with some kind of cleaner that smelled harsh, had warnings about not touching your skin, and was completely toxic. That's the way my mom cleaned in the 80's, and anything else just didn't seem strong enough.

I've thankfully realized that not only are products like that bad for me, but they're also bad for the environment. Last year I had the chance to try out several of the Clorox Green Works products, and overall I was impressed with their cleaning ability and their non-toxic properties. I don't want my girls around something that will give off chemical fumes or leave a residue.

Mom Central recently sent me the newest product from the Clorox Green Works line - cleaning wipes. I've used wipes in the past, but gave them up after I had headaches from the smell and my skin was irritated from touching them. These, however, looked promising. No phosphorous or bleach is used, essential oils are included and the entire wipe is biodegradable. I couldn't wait to try them out.

My first impression of these wipes was how good they smelled! Seriously, after wiping down the kitchen counter I walked around smelling the scent left on my hands. I'm no good with placing scents, but it smells like some kind of citrus oil. They did a good job of removing the drops of grape jam my husband had left on the counter, too.

After using roughly half of the container, I'm still happy with this product. The smell is pleasant, it doesn't irritate my skin, and it does a good job cleaning up. I have no worries about my daughters coming in contact with these wipes, either. And when you're out of paper towels (like I was last week), these wipes can handle anything a paper towel and spray cleaner could handle.

I've never been all that excited about cleaning or cleaning products, but I have to give the Clorox Green Works wipes a gold star for ease of use and for being non-toxic. Anything that makes cleaning the kitchen or bathroom easy without knocking me out from strong fumes is a winner for me!

My Last Post About Christmas

We took down all of our holiday decorations earlier this week. As I sifted through all of the ornaments, garlands, lights, and random homemade ornaments, I decided it was time to rid ourselves of some of the old stuff that didn't even get used this year.

We had a pre-lit garland that no longer worked, so it was purged from the box. And we also had several ornaments that didn't even make it onto the tree this year due to being too fragile, or breakable, or too likely for the top to come out with the slightest tug from a child. Some of the light strands were inherited from my mom, who probably bought them when I was Cordy's age.

Some of our new decorations this year were big winners for us. The Home Depot sent us some unbreakable ornaments in early December, along with two sets of LCD lights in blue and white. First off, I had no idea you could even buy alternating blue-white strands of lights! I have to give kudos to my rep, Megan: when she asked what colors I liked, I told her we liked blue and white, and somehow she found exactly what I wanted.

The LCD lights were amazing - so much brighter, and they use far less energy than traditional lights. Our electricity usage for early December (we put the decorations up right after Thanksgiving) was less than it was a year ago, and I'd like to think the LCD lights helped.

The unbreakable ornaments lived up to their name: despite a few being yanked off the tree by kids or swatted off and batted around the floor by cats, they didn't break or come apart at the top. They were also even prettier than our old ones, prompting compliments from visitors.

One other item that Megan added was a package of LCD tealights. If you like having candlelight during the holidays (or any time of the year, really) but either have to keep the candles very high up for fear of small person or feline getting too close, these are a great alternative. Put them in a tealight holder made of frosted glass and you can barely tell the difference.

So big thanks to the Home Depot for coming up with some great holiday decorating ideas. We're planning to slowly convert all holiday lights to LCD lights (our local zoo converted part of their Wildlights display to LCD this year, too), and I think we'll be looking for more of the unbreakable ornaments, too.

Saving Energy (and Money!) This Winter

When I woke up this morning, I wasn't prepared to be so cold. Like typical Ohio weather, last week was beautiful and the week ahead will be freezing cold. I swear Ohio is bipolar.

As I start bringing out the winter clothing, the heavy blankets and firing up the fireplace, I've been thinking a lot about home energy costs for winter. Thanks to the Hurricane Ike wind storm that tore through Ohio earlier this fall, our local electric company wants to raise our rates 45% over the next three years to recover some of the money they had to spend on fixing the power lines. Natural gas is also expected to be higher this winter, too. And while Aaron has a contract job at the moment, it could be over as early as December, meaning we need to save as much money as we can, and home energy is a good place to start.

Home Depot recently e-mailed me some tips on how to save energy at home, and in the process reduce your energy bills. They also asked if I would like to install some new energy-saving gadgets in my home on their dime, too. I had already been thinking about this topic, so of course I agreed.

Our house is only four years old, so I know it has Energy Star appliances, a programmable thermostat and good windows. But just like any house, there are always areas to improve on.

I went shopping at Home Depot with my good friend Lisa from Condo Blues - she's kind of an expert on home improvement stuff and has great ideas on making a home more energy efficient. Together we picked up a hot water heater blanket, some weatherstripping, foil tape, dimmer switches, insulation for the areas behind light switches and electrical outlets, lots of caulk, CFL lightbulbs, and a cover for my air-conditioner.

I knew that CFL bulbs helped save energy, and I've been slowly trying to make the conversion each time a light burns out. I was surprised to learn that they make ones that are "daylight" bright - Lisa pointed out that these are great for the bathroom or wherever you put on makeup!

The hot water heater blanket was something I've wanted for awhile. Our utility room is actually out in the (uninsulated) garage, so I'm sure a lot of energy is lost from the cold air on the tank. I also didn't realize that cold air can come in through your air-conditioner unit, even when off, so hopefully the insulated cover will help reduce that influx of cold air.

Lisa was the one to recommend the insulated "sealers" that go underneath the light-switch and electrical outlet plates. If you have a plate that is on an outside wall, it can let a lot of outside air in. (Try it - take off the cover plate and see how cold it is.)

The dimmer switch was for Cordy's room. She doesn't like having her overhead light off at night, and even if I turn it off after she goes to sleep, she'll wake up and turn it back on again. She already uses only a 40 watt bulb, but that's still a lot of light at night, so with the dimmer I can reduce the amount of light (and energy) while still giving her some light overhead at night.

I'll post an update in two months to see how much energy we're saving with these new items. I'm excited at the thought of cheaper utility bills without having to wear several layers in the house!

Here are a few more tips from Home Depot:

Top 10 ways to save energy – and money - in your home.

1. Install a programmable thermostat. You can save up to $180 a year by installing a programmable thermostat that controls the temperature of your home while you're at work or asleep.

2. Change to CFL light bulbs. Americans could save close to $8 billion in energy costs by replacing each home's five most frequently used light fixtures with CFL bulbs. CFL Bulbs use up to 90 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and are now available in dimmable and spot light bulbs.

3. Choose ENERGY STAR appliances. Save money and the environment by replacing standard model appliances with ones that are ENERGY STAR-qualified. ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances use 10-50 percent less energy and water than standard models.

4. Install a storm door. Storm doors can help conserve energy by keeping cold air out during the winter and heat out during the summer.

5. Update your windows. ENERGY STAR-qualified windows can reduce your energy costs by $126-$465 per year when replacing single-pane windows or $27-$111 a year when replacing double-pane, clear glass windows. For a quick fix, add heat control window film to your windows and save up to 50 percent on your cooling costs.

6. Install dimmer switches and motion detectors. Dim the lights by 25 percent and save an average of 15 percent a year on energy costs, and extend the bulb life by four times. By adding motion-sensitive exterior lighting and adding dimmer switches indoors where appropriate, you can control the wattage, saving you on your energy bills.

7. Install a ceiling fan – and learn to correctly rotate it. Ceiling fans aren't just for when it's hot outside. Ceiling fans can save you $10 a year on utility bills, plus the additional air conditioning or heating savings gained when a fan is operated properly. ENERGY STAR-qualified ceiling fans use 50 percent less energy than standard fans and circulate 25 percent more air.

8. Regularly maintain your furnace and water heater. Regular maintenance on your furnace and water heater will increase energy efficiency in your home. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20 percent to 50 percent. Regular maintenance will help make these investments in your home last longer and be more energy efficient.

9. Seal your home from heat and cold. Allowing air to escape through gaps and cracks is like throwing your money away. By sealing your home with caulk, sealant and weather-stripping, you can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.

10. Install insulation. According to the Department of Energy, the leading cause of energy waste in the home is inadequate insulation and air leakage. Homeowners typically can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 20 percent by sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces and accessible basement rim joists.

If you're looking for more information on energy savings projects and products, just visit homedepot.com/energy .

PS - Stay tuned - I have an AWESOME contest coming very soon!

Trying to Green Up My House

You may have noticed the new little icon in my left sidebar. I'm currently participating in the Green Works 30 Days to Natural experiment. In the past few years I've been wanting to make better choices for our family that helped us live healthier and protected the environment.

For this challenge, I'm trying out the Clorox Green Works line of cleaners, all made with biodegradable ingredients and free of phosphorus, bleach, and other toxic chemicals. None of the products are tested on animals, also. I'm replacing the remaining harsh cleaners we had with Green Works products to see if they clean just as well as the old products. I've already been using them, and so far I can tell you that I'm liking what I'm seeing. (And smelling!) Reviews will be coming soon.

The 30 Days to Natural website encourages you to sign up for an account, and in return provides you with a wealth of tips to live in a healthier, more environmentally-friendly way. You can have daily tips e-mailed to you or sent to your cell phone. And you can watch videos from three moms who are vlogging their 30 day transformation to a greener household.

It's been fun so far, and several of the daily tips have been useful and reminded me that it doesn't take a lot of effort to make eco-friendly choices.