Dive Summary:
- The National Journal looks at Pecan Street's work in Austin, Texas, and the project's vision for smart grid smartphone integration.
- Brewster McCracken, president and CEO of Pecan Street, envisions residential utility customers in the future using smartphones as one-stop portals for managing appliances and utility service for their homes.
- McCracken also sees the potential for apps that recommend upgrades, maintenance and product purchases for homes with the goal of improving energy efficiency based on lifestyle data.
From the article:
"... For utilities, the promise of smart-grid technology lies in making the entire system easier to manage. If consumer energy use responded to hourly shifts in energy prices, energy demand would peak less often and utilities wouldn’t need to invest in as much backup capacity. 'If you have a flatter load period, you have much cheaper electricity,' says Anthony Paul, a fellow at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit research organization in Washington. Cheaper, more reliable electricity could in turn help foster economic growth, particularly in high-tech centers like Austin. ..."
