Electric Co-op Today

A Montana co-op is teaming with General Electric Co. to determine whether several “smart” appliances cut energy costs during times of high-energy demand.

Volunteers in a smart appliance pilot at Flathead Electric Co-op get a GE Nucleus home energy monitor to test in their homes. (Photo Courtesy of FEC)

Up to 150 residential members of Flathead Electric Co-op, Kalispell, will participate in the two-year program. Volunteers will get several GE products, including a wireless home energy monitor, a programmable thermostat, a washer, a dryer and a dishwasher.

The monitor plugs into a standard electric outlet and gives consumers near real-time information about home energy use. It will inform consumers when they qualify for “Peak Event” rebates from the co-op.

The goal of the FEC Peak Time Pilot “is to offer our members tools for greater control over peak-time energy consumption, helping them save money and ensuring better overall energy management of the co-op,” said Russ Schneider, an FEC project manager .

The co-op buys wholesale power from the Bonneville Power Administration. If consumer-members use less energy during peak usage times, Bonneville will charge the co-op less.

At that point, “the co-op needs to figure out how to directly pass the savings on to members that help reduce the peak,” Schneider said.

If the pilot is successful, Schneider said, the co-op will consider opening it to the entire membership. “After we see how much we save, we’ll see how much it makes sense to incentivize this technology,” he said.

Eligible pilot participants live in the Libby, Marion and Kila areas near a distribution substation; all have wireless Internet. The smart appliance portion of the pilot is part of a larger federal demonstration project at the co-op involving 240 co-op members. So far, more than 80 members have signed up to test smart appliances.

The co-op is testing the GE technology through its participation in the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, a five-year initiative funded by the federal stimulus program. BPA is sponsoring the project, and Battelle Pacific Northwest Division is managing it.

Tags: Energy Conservation, Smart Grid