The first time the worker from Reliant Energy knocked on the door of Doug Shoemaker and Michelle Dugan’s home in the historic Sixth Ward, they almost didn’t open it.
“I think I told him to just leave his material and we’d get back to him,” said Dugan.
But eventually the couple studied the offer from the retail electric provider — to turn their neighborhood into a sort of laboratory for smart grid technology — and decided to get on board.
On Tuesday Reliant unveiled the work it’s done with what it calls “Innovation Avenue” — 12 homes in the neighborhood just west of downtown that will take part in the project over the next two years.
The company will watch how the homeowners change their power use — or don’t change it — through a variety of tools the company installed free of charge, which give the residents real-time information and control over their electricity use.
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Innovation Avenue
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Prop street signs that read "Reliant and Innovation Avenue" in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Home improvement expert, Bob Vila speaks to the media during a press conference in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and others were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Home improvement expert, Bob Vila, walks into a home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Wayne Morrison, manager of Smart Energy, demonstrates the Reliant e-Sense App while on a tour of a home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Homeowner Doug Shoemaker demonstrates the Reliant e-Sense App to home improvement expert Bob Vila, while on a tour in his home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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A home energy monitor sits on the counter in the kitchen of a home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Home improvement expert, Bob Vila, walks into a home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Home improvement expert, Bob Vila, left, talks with Wayne Morrison, manager of Smart Energy, with a home energy monitor on the counter in the foreground, in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Home improvement expert, Bob Vila, left, chats with homeowner, Doug Shoemaker, right, during a tour of Shoemaker's home in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Wayne Morrison, manager of Smart Energy, gets ready to enter one of the homes on tour on Reliant's "Innovation Avenue" in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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One of the homes showcased by Reliant on their "Innovation Street" in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Michelle Dugan and her husband Doug Shoemaker enter their home, one of Reliant's "Innovation Avenue" smart homes in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Media and others gathered for a press conference in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
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Wayne Morrison, manager of Smart Energy holds an iPad with the Reliant e-Sense App while on a tour of homes in the 6th ward, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, where Reliant Energy outfitted twelve families with smart meters and accessories, on a street called "Reliant Innovation Avenue". The technology that was showcased included home energy monitors, smart appliances and home automation and solar panels. Mayor Annise Parker and home improvement expert, Bob Vila, were on hand at the event. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) (Houston Chronicle)
Some of the products and services are already available through Reliant, but others will be offered more widely in the future based on what the company learns through Innovation Avenue.
“Our ultimate goal is to change the way everyone in the country thinks about and uses energy,” said Reliant President Jason Few.
The houses in the project range from a two-story Victorian built in 1893 to a 2007-vintage three story home, and include families with small kids, empty-nesters and single homeowners. All of the residences have digital “smart meters” installed by CenterPoint Energy as part of its areawide rollout of more than 2 million of the devices.
Reliant officials first did an energy audit of all the homes, which included some basic weatherization and heating-air conditioning vent repairs.
The homes then were equipped with home energy monitors, which communicate with the home smart meters to give real-time usage information.
Most of the homeowners signed up for weekly email summaries of their usage, but they also can access the information online any time through the Web or applications for the iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices.
The homes’ thermostats and refrigerators can be controlled with a Web-enabled system that lets the homeowners monitor and control the devices remotely. In the case of the refrigerators the energy-intensive freezer defrost process can be set for off-peak hours of demand, such as late night or early morning.
At least one home has installed solar panels on the roof through a leasing program Reliant is offering.
Shoemaker said members of his family started changing their habits almost immediately once they could see how much their daily power use cost.
“I never wasn’t an energy conservation fanatic before, but seeing your usage costs makes you a lot more cognizant,” he said.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker used the show-and-tell event set up by Reliant on Tuesday to tout the city’s goals of creating a more energy efficient city.
“If we can get residents in neighborhoods like this with a mix of new and old homes and different kinds of families to change their energy habits, maybe we can help others make decisions that benefit all of us,” Parker said.
When people volunteer for a laboratory study they are generally told of the possible dangers they are exposed to.
By now most Californians have been arbitrarily forced to submit to the burden of wireless smart meters. Its very late but California Public Utility Commission members are now admitting that they know the meters are “making people sick” and that’s why they are authorizing an “opt out program”.
Of course, had the harm to public health been realized at the start the paltry benefits of smart meters would never have justified their expense.
Their so-called safety never has been established. Where are the pilot studies usually required before exposing large populations? Greed has led to this technological embarrassment.
At least in California leaders are admitting mistakes but will they try to correct their dangerous mistakes! So far all I have noted is people fleeing their homes to get as far away as they can from wireless smart meters after cries for help had no effect on the status quo.
In the case of the refrigerators the energy-intensive freezer defrost process can be set for off-peak hours of demand, such as late night or early morning.
Huh? Something got glossed over here. Did these people all have refrigerators that had hardware that could control when the defrost function starts? Mine doesn’t have that.
Wireless meters can’t make people sick. The opt-out was created by Californians to cater to the stupid. If you were that sensitive, you would get headaches walking through any grocery store, Starbucks, or anywhere within reach of a cell phone tower or radio station. Wi-Fi sensitivity has been debunked time and time again. Their IS no health effect.
Now, I agree that the benefits of “smart” meters are highly overrated, but using false arguments is inexcusable.
They installed one on my neighbor’s house, even after objection, and it caught on fire and burned his garage down. Apparently the wiring on the 40 year old house didn’t like the new tech meter requirements.
When people volunteer for a laboratory study they are generally told of the possible dangers they are exposed to.
By now most Californians have been arbitrarily forced to submit to the burden of wireless smart meters. Its very late but California Public Utility Commission members are now admitting that they know the meters are “making people sick” and that’s why they are authorizing an “opt out program”.
Of course, had the harm to public health been realized at the start the paltry benefits of smart meters would never have justified their expense.
Their so-called safety never has been established. Where are the pilot studies usually required before exposing large populations? Greed has led to this technological embarrassment.
At least in California leaders are admitting mistakes but will they try to correct their dangerous mistakes! So far all I have noted is people fleeing their homes to get as far away as they can from wireless smart meters after cries for help had no effect on the status quo.
Must-See 4-minute youtube video on Smart meters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8JNFr_j6kdI
In the case of the refrigerators the energy-intensive freezer defrost process can be set for off-peak hours of demand, such as late night or early morning.
Huh? Something got glossed over here. Did these people all have refrigerators that had hardware that could control when the defrost function starts? Mine doesn’t have that.
Wireless meters can’t make people sick. The opt-out was created by Californians to cater to the stupid. If you were that sensitive, you would get headaches walking through any grocery store, Starbucks, or anywhere within reach of a cell phone tower or radio station. Wi-Fi sensitivity has been debunked time and time again. Their IS no health effect.
Now, I agree that the benefits of “smart” meters are highly overrated, but using false arguments is inexcusable.
Robert Williams – I think you left your tin foil hat on your desk… Might need to put it on.
They installed one on my neighbor’s house, even after objection, and it caught on fire and burned his garage down. Apparently the wiring on the 40 year old house didn’t like the new tech meter requirements.
Smart Meters – something to be afraid of? http://www.squidoo.com/beware-of-smart-meters