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Here’s a different spin on the familiar refrain, ‘More Power to the People’. A group of technology companies and Green energy-related organizations have banded together to call on President Barack Obama to adopt the goal of giving every household the ability to monitor and manage their energy use via the Web.
In a letter sent to the President this week, the technology companies and organizations, which include Google, AT&T, General Electric, HP, Nokia and Best Buy, argue that giving people more ability to manage their energy consumption can result in billions of dollars in savings and help the Administration meet its climate goals.
“By giving people the ability to monitor and manage their energy consumption, for instance, via their computers, phones or other devices, we can unleash the innovation in homes and businesses,” the letter states. “At the same time, we can harness the power of millions of people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – and save consumers billions of dollars.”
The companies behind the message are an interesting collection, all with arguably something to gain from such an initiative. Technology manufacturers like HP would obviously gain from building chips and software that would enable smart-power usage, while appliance manufacturers like GE and Whirlpool, would be able to make premium appliances with Internet connectivity built-in.
If February, Google gained approval from U.S. energy regulators to buy and sell electricity. The company said the primary purpose in becoming an energy marketer was to gain more flexibility in managing costs related to its own operations, however, it would obviously be able to use its massive Internet and technology clout to offer services to consumers looking to manage their energy consumption.
In its letter, the group calls on the President to take the following actions:
• Initiate a White House-led effort to work with Federal agencies, States, and industry stakeholders to determine the best strategies, programs and policies required to give consumers access to their energy information.
• Direct the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency and ask the Federal Energy Regulation Commission to make timely, useful, and actionable energy information a criterion for their rulemakings, grants and other programs.
• Encourage the purchase and installation of technologies that will make it possible for consumers to obtain their energy information.
• Convene a White House summit to address how to empower consumers with better information and tools for managing their energy use.
The group believes such investments in energy efficiency would result in substantial benefits. “If all U.S. households saved 15% on their energy use by 2020, for example, the greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 35 million cars off the road and would save consumers $46 billion on their energy bills, or $360 per customer per year,” the letter states.
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