Grid Article

The “Grid” vs. The “Smart Grid”
You hear all the talk on the radio shows, read about it in the newspaper, and watch it on T.V. but what is all the buzz really about? The “Grid” is the term generally used when referring to an electrical ‘network’ that supports the generation of electricity, transmitting power, and distributing it. The “Grid” is often referred to as the nation’s entire electric network. The “Grid” allows you to watch television, play video games, wash and dry your clothes, and basically run your entire household and workplace.
This “Grid” or electric network is outdated. It hasn’t changed much at all since Thomas Edison, one of the founding architects of the system, designed it. It is running up against many limitations. It is overburdened and has begun to fail which presents the United States with substantial risks. There are more and more blackouts and brownouts. Maybe we don’t see these often in Minnesota, but it does directly or indirectly affect us through rising prices in our electric bills and cost of goods we purchase from other areas of the country. “The Northeast blackout of 2003 resulted in a $6 billion economic loss to the region.”1 This statistic reveals to us that a blackout can have a severe impact on individuals and businesses.
The bottom line then, is that our current grid needs updating. So, one day someone said let’s make a “Smart Grid.” You might say, “How do we do that?” I’ll tell you how. We leave that to businesses like Silent Power, a local smart grid technology company, the utilities, and the government! We could discuss in detail how they are going to do that but we will save that for another article. The purpose of this article focuses on how you, the consumer of electricity, can make a difference.
Now would be a good time to introduce myself. My name is Angela and I am an energy enthusiast. What exactly does that mean? I am passionate about energy. Plain and simple. Where does my passion come from? It is a long story, but in short, it comes from my Economics education and background. I believe that the first step towards energy independence in our country is conservation! And, that is where you come in. I could give thousands of statistics as to why we should conserve energy but that would be boring. I am only going to give you one reason: TO SAVE YOU MONEY! It only makes ‘cents.’ I was talking with my parents one day, comparing our heat bills. (OK, we were complaining about our heat bills.) I was appalled to find out that their heat bill is the same as mine but my house is twice the size of their house. On my way home, I kept thinking about our conversation. I was thinking, “What about rising fuel prices, what about fixed income and elderly people, what about future generations, what about….. and the list went on.” That conversation changed my life. Seriously! When I got home I told my husband, a renewable energy expert, about it. He suggested that I become an Energy Auditor. At first I scoffed because I am a business person. But, after a lot of thought and research, I enrolled in an energy auditor training course. I am now an Energy Auditor.
I am going to help you save money! There are two ways I can do that. First, you will save money through energy conservation. Second, you will save money through energy efficiency. They sound the same but they are not. Let’s talk about conservation first. Conservation is much harder to accomplish than efficiency. The reason it is harder is because conservation means you must change your behavior. We all know how hard it is to change your, or even someone else’s, behavior. It’s next to impossible to change someone else’s behavior! I know, because I have been working on my husband for 19 years now and – nothin’! He still balls up his socks when he puts them in the laundry. Sorry, I got off topic there, but you get my point. Conservation requires effort on your part. It is your first step. Energy conservation is also the first step when considering renewable energies like solar or wind. Remember when your dad went around the house telling you to ‘turn off the lights, you’re wasting electricity?’ Well, I am going to tell you just that. My first suggestion, as simple as it seems, is to turn things off when you are not using them. Lighting can account for about 10% or more of energy consumption in a residential household. You could leave all your lights off and slash your electric bill by 10%! Who wants to live in the dark though? I can’t cover all conservation suggestions in one article but here are a few more:
o Take shorter showers
o Turn down your thermostat in the winter
o Use a crock pot instead of the oven
o Wash your clothes in cold water
o Hang your clothes on a clothesline outside to dry
o Put certain electrical appliances on timers

The last item on the previous list indicates that appliances run even when you are not using them. There are several terms used interchangeably for this type of appliance: phantom, ghost, or vampire. My coffee maker uses energy even when I am not making coffee because it has a clock and timer that I can set to make coffee before I get up in the morning.
Energy efficiency differs from conservation in that you use energy wisely. There are many many ways you can do this. (And save money!) One way to do this is by changing a light bulb. For energy (lighting) savings of up to 75%, standard incandescent light bulbs can be replaced with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). There are lots of CFLs on the market. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and watts. If you want to go all out, LEDs (light emitting diodes) are the future of lighting. They are still very expensive but their life span averages 50,000 hours in comparison to an incandescent which averages 2,000 hours. Turning off the lights would be conserving energy. Leaving the lights on but switching to CFLs (which use less energy) would be energy efficiency. Get it? Other ways that you can become more efficient include:
o Upgrade your water heater to a more efficient model
o Seal your windows so heat can’t escape
o Increase the insulation in your attic
o Place an insulation blanket on your water heater
o Seal leaky ducts
o Run your dishwasher with a full load of dishes

Through a combination of conservation and efficiency you can save money and make a difference. These two techniques will reduce the stress on the “Grid.” There is a need for consumer involvement because it is estimated that the “Smart Grid” is still a decade or more away.



1 The Smart Grid: An Introduction, U.S. Department of Energy.

Go Green Expo

Go Green Expo
Business-to-Business Expo
Friday, November 6th • 10am - 5pm
Business-to-Business & Business-to-Consumer Expo Minneapolis Convention Center
Saturday, November 7th • 10am - 6pm 1301 Second Avenue South
Sunday, November 8th • 10am - 5pm Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403
(612) 335-6000
www.minneapolisconventioncenter.com
Tickets: Friday: Complimentary to Business Buyers (please bring your business card for admission)
Saturday & Sunday: $10 for a full weekend pass; $5 for Students & Seniors with proper ID;
Children 12 and under are Free

Energy Auditor

I keep forgetting to post this. I passed my test and now I can officially be an Energy Auditor. I am not quite sure what I intend to do with this new 'title' but we will see what the future holds. I have a new wealth of information to share with everyone!

SAHMs and Being Green

I was recently researching information about being a stay-at-home mom and the economic impact that it has on a family. I have heard many different statistics regarding the worth of a 'SAHM - stay-at-home mom.' As recent as 2007, msn.com reports:
"What's a mom worth?
According to one report, $138,095 a year.
That's the figure in a study put out by Salary.com , which calculates the wages that would have been paid a stay-at-home mom in 2007 if she were compensated for all the elements of her "job." That total was up 3% from 2006's salary of $134,121."
I am not surprised by this figure, although, my husband is. I made a list of all of my duties, AKA my job description and I think that by-and-large, the salary figure could be even higher. You are asking yourself, "why is she writing a post about this on her green blog?" I will tell you. It appears to me that being a SAHM and being green will save you even more 'green' thereby making the stay-at-home mom even more valuable! In future posts I intend to prove my point!

Watch TV - It is GREEN!

I may have mentioned that I watch 'Planet Green' 24/7! I think I may be addicted actually, which I don't think is a bad thing. There are many informative shows which provide a wealth of information. One of my favorite shows is 'Living With Ed.' Ed Begley cracks me up! He has been 'green' since before 'green' had a term associated with it. I also really enjoy 'World's Greenest Homes.' This show is fantastic! It features homes from all over the world that are the ultimate in green and living sustainably. If people would just watch this show alone they could see that it is truly possible to live life off the grid!