A serendipitous synergy: Why electric utilities should install the information superhighway
Electric utilities can seize the initiative and secure their future - while giving the nation's economy a significant competitive boost - by taking a leading role in developing a state-of-the-art national communications and information network. The authors argue that the electric power industry brings two of the most important elements required for the construction of the information superhighway: (1) the economic driver for initial installation and (2) the prospect of improved customer satisfaction. The economic driver that justifies a major role for the power companies in the information superhighway is demand-side management (DSM) - energy efficiency, conservation, and load control techniques for homes, businesses, and industry. The electric power industry is constantly looking for ways of reducing the cost of meeting new load growth. The ability to defer or avoid the need to build a central station power plant can be a powerful economic incentive to install cost-effective DSM systems. Customer satisfaction is likely to occur from providing customers with choices they have never had before. These choices relate to customers' ability to actively manage the size of their electric bill to comport with the [open quotes]energy lifestyle[close quotes] of their choosing. Use of a system with immediate feedback capabilities expands the array of customer service enhancements that each utility can offer to its customers. In the realm of energy management alone, the benefits include load management features such as verifiable load control options (eg, positive control discounts and time-of-use rates), real-time pricing, automated billing, informational billing, energy-efficiency education, and energy [open quotes]sales[close quotes].
- OSTI ID:
- 7073682
- Journal Information:
- Electricity Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Electricity Journal; (United States) Vol. 7:1; ISSN ELEJE4; ISSN 1040-6190
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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