Let the Electric Company Turn Off Your A/C, And Earn Some Cash

November 21, 2011

Greenlet just finished an initial program with the Israel Electric Company, in which several hundred customers were given special devices to attach to major appliances – mostly power-hungry items, like air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, etc. When power usage is high, the customer gets an SMS indicating that the IEC is facing a strain in supply. Customers can then choose to turn off appliances themselves – or ask the IEC to do it, via the device attached to the appliance. If they do turn off the appliances, they get paid – NIS 4 per kilowatt hour saved.

You might think that few people would be willing to give up autonomy over their electrical appliances, but you would be wrong: According to IEC statistics, the 150 families who participated in the initial program cut their electrical usage by as much as 50%! The program was so successful that the IEC plans to begin a new pilot program – with 3,000 households participating.

Actually it's not surprising that the IEC program was so successful. Greenlet has been doing something similar in the U.S. for months, working with several large U.S. utilities, including Austin Power, California's PG&E, and the Citizens Utility Board in suburban Chicago, as well as a large East Coast utility. Consumers in the areas where Greenlet is running the program – in which utilities can close off appliances when needed – are very happy with the program, a company spokesperson said, since they get paid for the energy they save. It may be a bit “invasive,” but the electric company already knows all about you anyway. Why not make some money off them?

Source: Arutz Sheva