16 Jul To Be Smart or Not to Be (+ PBS Video)

Most of us know Pecan Street Inc. as the Pecan Street Project, yet PBS  recently shared an eye-opening video segment about how far  this program has progressed in the Austin-based study about Smart Power. The key question which many Austinites seem to be indecisive about is: should we all convert to Smart Power or not? Miles O'Brien, PBS science correspondent, traveled to Austin to interview Brewster McCracken, executive director of the Pecan Streen Project, and others to better understand the potential of a smart grid. Smart meters that have been fully enabled allow users to monitor their home energy use in 15-minute intervals to encourage home energy savings. You can click here to view the short PBS video segment.

With nearly 200 residents participating in the project, several consumer electronics companies and the University of Texas are measuring the energy habits for electricity, natural gas and water consumption. Some residents are also using Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicles to help researchers determine what the car charging requirements would need to be for each home of the future.

With the deregulation of the electricity market several years ago, Austin Energy has been experimenting with how Austinites may want to use and monitor different types of energy. For example, if a resident wants to pay a bit more ($21 per month on average), one can receive electricity powered only from clean, renewable sources (like wind energy) using Green Choice. Green Choice is an optional program that continues to expand year after year. Austin Energy is also a key sponsor of the Pecan Street Project which utilizes the distribution of clean energy.

Do you support the Pecan Street Project and the use of smart meters?